A/N: Thanks again for the review, Mimo-Chi, but don't worry, this isn't the ending, yet. There are still a few chapters that need to be written, so you'll be able to enjoy this story for a bit longer. About the sequel (which will be written someday in the future), I can't bring Juunanagou into the story, as he's dead (see chapter 22 "The Legendary") and since there won't be any time travel, Trunks also won't be there.

Anyway, here is the new chapter!

Chapter 42: The Journey Home

Bulma sighed almost inaudible, as she listened to the crackling of the campfire in front of her. She felt its warmth on her face, as she was lying there in front of it, feigning sleep. The others had quieted down some time ago, though Bulma couldn't say how much time had passed. The soft breathing of her friends was the only thing she could hear by now, this and the quiet whispers that passed now and then between Krillin and Piccolo, who were taking the first watch. The others were most likely asleep, resting for their turn.

Directly after this unusual truce between Goku and Vegeta, the younger Saiyajin had declared that it would be better for them to go to sleep now, as they didn't know yet what the following days or maybe weeks would bring. ChiChi had immediately taken her by the arm and wanted to lead her away, to the other side of the fire, but Bulma had hesitated, gazing at Vegeta. She had wanted to stay with him, at his side, during the night, but he had just shaken his head ever so lightly. It had hurt a bit, but Bulma believed she had understood. It was better to stay apart, for now, until things had settled down.

As soon as Bulma had relented and sat down at the fire next to ChiChi, the younger woman and also Yamcha, who, it seemed, felt a bit guilty about his earlier outburst, had begun to coddle her, making sure that she was alright. "It must have been terrible!" ChiChi had said, with a dark glare at Vegeta. "Being taken hostage by those filthy pirates! You must be completely exhausted!"

Bulma, smirking inwardly, had only nodded and claimed to be tired, saying that she really would like to sleep now. This wasn't the truth, however, as she felt absolutely energetic after having just been resurrected (it was still hard to believe that she had actually been dead), but she was glad that her friends had backed off and let her lie down. Bulma had chosen a spot, from where she could still see Vegeta resting against a tree in the darkness, with Piccolo sitting nearby. However, Bulma had been forced to close her eyes and feign sleep to keep her worried friends away from her.

While she was pretending to rest, the worry that had infested itself in Bulma, when Yamcha had attacked Vegeta, began to grow. It wasn't just that she feared that something like earlier might happen again, but also what the future might have in store for them. Goku had said that Vegeta would accompany them as prisoner, but then he had loosened his bounds and somehow convinced the clearly reluctant pirate to lead them to his ship. The younger Saiyajin had smiled at her reassuringly afterwards, but it didn't help to quench the worry.

What would happen, when they had reached the ship? They had no use of Vegeta from that moment on and she guessed that Yamcha would be more than happy to kill him then. Though somehow she doubted that Goku would be this cruel to use Vegeta like this. But she didn't know, if the other option didn't scare her more. Vegeta was a prisoner of them and a pirate, and if Goku was planning to take him back with them to the Western Capitol he would have to be put on trial – and be sentenced guilty. There was just no way around. If he was lucky, Vegeta would get away with a few years in prison, but if he was not, he would be hanged. Although Bulma doubted that Vegeta would see it this way. She was sure that he would rather die than wither in a dank cell. His pride was too big for this.

Would he flee, if she asked him to? She didn't know. And she also wasn't sure, if she wanted to give him up, after everything they'd been through. But if it was to save his life, she had no other choice. She couldn't bear to see him die, knowing that she hadn't done anything to help him. If it was necessary she would ask her father to let him live, go down on her knees and beg if she had to. Her father was a good person, he would understand. And maybe, maybe Goku would support her…

This was her plan. It wasn't a good one, but it was a plan. She wouldn't let Vegeta die. Not again. Not when she had just gotten him back.

Bulma must have dozed off, because the rustle of grass woke her up. She groggily opened her eyes and saw that a large shadow was walking towards Vegeta. She couldn't see if he was awake or not, but he wasn't reacting or moving at all. Her whole body tensed, as she was ready to jump up, but she breathed a sigh of relief, when the person turned his head and the light of the fire revealed Bardock's face. The older Saiyajin exchanged a few words with Piccolo and the Namek abandoned his post, only to settle down a few yards away from them.

She watched fascinated, how Bardock bowed, before he sat down across from Vegeta and began to speak. However, his voice was too low, so she couldn't understand what was being said, but she saw that Vegeta now finally moved and sat up a bit straighter.

"Your Highness," Bardock mumbled, after he had performed the bow to show his respect of the royal family, and sat down across from his prince. "I'm glad to meet you again after such a long time, though I wished that the circumstances of our encounter were different."

Vegeta had opened his eyes, when he had heard the few words that the old Saiyajin had said to the Namek, and watched as the old man bowed and then sat down. They gazed at each other for a long moment, before Vegeta finally spoke. "You're Bardock, Kakarotto's and Radditz's father."

It had been a long time ago, when he had last seen this man, more than twenty-five years. Despite his low rank as third class Saiyajin, King Vegeta had held him in high esteem and often consulted him on different matters. The last time the young prince had seen him, had been only days before his father had handed him over to Frieza and the lizard had wiped out almost the entire race and taken over the island. It was a wonder that this man was still alive, though the years in the dungeons - Vegeta was pretty sure by now that the famous prisoner had been this Saiyajin - had obviously taken their toll on him.

"Kakarotto's, yes, but no longer Radditz's. I could never call a traitor my son." The old Saiyajin first looked grim, but then smiled and alone this smile made his face appear years younger. "But it's an honor to still be remembered by you, my Lord. Many years have passed since our last encounter and you've had to bear many hardships under the Beast's reign. When Kakarotto told me that you were still alive, the hope that had died within me so many years ago, flared up anew. The hope that our Prince might be able to kill the Beast and revenge our people."

Snorting, Vegeta shook his head with a deep and hateful scowl on his face, as he glanced at Son Goku, who was fast asleep in front of the fire, holding his wife and son in his arms. "You put your hopes in the wrong Saiyajin."

"It doesn't matter," Bardock contradicted. "Frieza, the bane of the Saiyajins and many other races, is finally dead. It doesn't matter, who killed him, as long as he's gone and we'll be able to—"

Suddenly, someone next to them cleared his throat and both Saiyajins looked up to see Piccolo standing there. "The few minutes you asked for are up. I would advise you to rest now, Bardock, if you still wish to take the third watch. Krillin is rousing Tenshinhan and Chao-Zu as we speak for the second watch."

"Of course," Bardock said and got to his feet. He was about to turn around, when he looked at Vegeta one more time. "I don't know, what my son is planning to do with you, but if you have the chance to return to this island and wish to take the throne as legitimate heir, I'd be glad to follow you and serve you, just like I served your father so many years ago."

Vegeta watched, stunned, as the older Saiyajin returned to his spot at the fire and settled down again to sleep for the next few hours. Those last words for that night left him speechless, as he hadn't expected that anyone might still be willing to follow him after his failure.

If he even got out of this alive, which he doubted very much. He had no illusions of living much longer – it was a wonder that they hadn't killed him yet -, at the most a few weeks, until they didn't need his help any longer and he was put on trial in the Western Capitol. No one in his right mind would let him go free after everything he had done. He was still a pirate and proud to be one! There was no goodness in him, so why should someone clear him of his crimes? There was only one reason, why he had agreed to help them now.

Without moving his head, his eyes wandered to the fire, where Son Goku was now standing, obviously wanting to take the second watch as well, along with two other sailors, and landed on the woman lying on the ground. Much to his surprise, her eyes were open and she was looking at him. They gazes met and she offered him a small smile, which he didn't return. Instead, he quickly looked away, watching as the three sailors positioned themselves in the clearing for the second watch. He wasn't surprised, as the other Saiyajin sat down near him. Lying down and closing his eyes, Vegeta listened to his surroundings until the lure of sleep was too great to resist.

However, before he had given in to sleep, he had sworn to himself that he would stay alive until the woman was home and with her family and make sure that no one would harm her. He owed her that much.

The following morning came sooner than expected, as the sun rose and sent its warming light through the trees. Bulma awoke again, when someone gently shook her and she smiled sleepily, when her eyes fell on her childhood friend. "How late is it?" she asked, as she sat up and stretched her arms. She had again fallen asleep shortly after the volunteers for the second watch had been woken up. The others around her were already awake and packing the few belongings they had, even Gohan, who looked a lot healthier after a full night's rest. Vegeta was also up and leaning against a tree, with a suspicious Yamcha standing nearby.

"Still early," Goku answered and offered her his hand to pull her up, "but the sun's already up for about one hour. We thought that the sooner we get to the ship, the sooner we can begin our journey home."

Still smiling, Bulma took the offered hand and got up. But when she dusted off her dress and noticed for the first time the bloodstains, she wrinkled her nose in revulsion. "Great… Why didn't you tell me how terrible I look? This is disgusting!"

A low chuckle got her attention and she turned towards the Saiyajin prince, with her arms crossed in front of her chest. A scowl appeared on her face, when she noticed the smirk on his. "You're worrying too much, woman. If you're lucky there're still some of your dresses in my cabin. Or, if not, then there must still be those other garments in Nappa's. I've been wanting to see you in one of those for a while now."

Before he even knew what was happening, Vegeta found himself pressed against the tree. Yamcha had his hand wrapped around Vegeta's throat and his face was contorted in anger and jealousy, which amused Vegeta even more. "Don't talk to her like that!" the younger man hissed through clenched teeth.

"Stop it!" Bulma yelled, as she stomped up to them, her face slightly flushed, as she thought about those other garments and wearing them for Vegeta. "Both of you!" As soon as Yamcha had let go of Vegeta, Bulma slapped first him and then the pirate, but while Yamcha winced and rubbed his now stinging red cheek, Vegeta only growled,

"What was that for, woman?"

"That was for being a pervert," she informed him, and even though she was angry with him – or rather with both of them – she couldn't hold back a small smile. Somehow, after a good night's sleep, even if it was on the hard ground in the middle of a forest, she felt much more confident and optimistic that everything would be fine. Frieza was dead, she and Vegeta were again among the living – thanks to the Dragonballs -, she was reunited with her friends and they would go home now. And somehow, she would find a way to convince her father to spare Vegeta. "Yamcha was right, you don't talk to a lady like that. You have to keep this in mind, if you want to live at my father's palace."

This had been exactly the wrong thing to say, or maybe, in Vegeta's case, exactly the right thing, for he now remembered what he had already told the woman a few days ago - that this, whatever he and the woman had, had no future, that they wouldn't be accepted, even if his life was spared. "Whatever," he replied gruffly and turned away from her, ignoring the hurt look that flashed over her face. "Kakarotto, is the sorry excuse of your crew finally ready? I'm getting impatient."

Looking around, Goku nodded. "We're ready. Lead the way, Vegeta…"

With a grin on his face, the young Saiyajin had noticed the obvious spark between his best female friend and the pirate. It truly seemed that Bulma had finally, after long years of searching and her parents' matchmaking attempts, found her match. Goku really needed to talk to Lord Briefs about giving Vegeta a second chance. The hatred that he had felt for the pirate just a few weeks ago had diminished a lot. After everything he had learned over the course of those weeks and especially during the last days, the respect for this man had begun to grow. Vegeta was changing and Goku guessed that most of it was Bulma's doing.

"And no tricks," Yamcha threatened, just for good measure, not noticing the grin on his friend's face.

Slightly bemused by the mysterious smile on Kakarotto's face, Vegeta brushed past Bulma, without looking at her or anyone else for that matter, and left the clearing, closely followed by his fellow Saiyajins and then the rest of the crew.

It was truly better this way. He would be dead in a couple of weeks anyway, so pushing her away was the best thing he could do. Maybe, if he continued to act like this, she would even start to hate him and make it a lot easier for both of them. All those annoying and confusing new emotions he felt were truly getting irritating.

The trek through the jungle wasn't an easy one, as Vegeta mostly kept off the main paths, out of caution, since there might still be some of Frieza's men running around. Vegeta had told them that the normal path would take about one hour on foot, but that the path they were taking might take up to two hours. Everyone was already sporting new scratches from twigs and thorns of the trees and bushes, but no one complained and even though they were following Vegeta blindly, only Yamcha kept pointing out that he didn't trust the Saiyajin at all. The only one besides Vegeta, who seemed to know the way, was Bardock, but the older Saiyajin always stayed behind the prince, along with his son.

Bulma was walking next to ChiChi, with Gohan and Dende close behind them, even though she would rather walk in the front with Vegeta and Goku. Instead Yamcha was in front of her, turning around every few yards to make sure that she was alright, when he wasn't badmouthing Vegeta. She was slowly getting annoyed by him and his behavior and showed this by dangerously narrowing her eyes, when he again turned to her.

"Honestly, Bulma, if you're getting tired, just tell me. I'd be happy to carry you."

"I'm not tired," she snapped at him. "I'm perfectly fine, so if you'd just mind your own business, I'd be really grateful."

Of course, when she had first met him, Bulma had thought that this protectiveness had been endearing, but now it was mostly frustrating. She was an independent woman, unlike most of her female acquaintances, and she had even become much stronger after this experience.

Sighing, Bulma looked back to the two boys and, wanting to ignore any further attempts Yamcha might start and just remembering what she had wondered about since the previous night, she asked, "Dende, can you tell me what happened to the Treasure— I mean, the Dragonballs after you used them? Last night I thought it was just a trick of light, but this morning I saw again that they had changed somehow."

"They turned to stone," the young Namek told her, eager to share his knowledge with someone, who appeared to be genuinely curious. "This is what happens, when they are used. They will stay like this for one year and then they can be used again to fulfill another wish."

"That's interesting," Bulma said smiling, but then frowned. "The power of wishes is truly great, but in the wrong hands it could cause a lot of destruction. I guess that even before Frieza many people must have tried to get their hands on such a powerful treasure."

"That they did, but none of them knew the true power of the Dragonballs." And so Dende began to explain the history of the Dragonballs, just as he had done the night before, when she hadn't been there yet. Bulma listened with rapt attention and only interrupted now and then to ask for more details. However all in all she was fascinated by this tale and at the same time shocked, though not as much, as she would have been a couple of weeks ago.

Bulma knew now that there was no good and evil, no black and white, but many shades of grey, so it was more understandable how someone, who had been trusted with the secret of the Dragonballs, might exchange it for some gold. The best example for such a shade of grey was walking in front of them, leading them to his ship, something probably none of the others would have ever expected. Bulma had no illusions that Vegeta was doing this truly voluntarily or out of the goodness of his heart, but that Goku had said something to convince him.

Even after having gotten to know the pirate over the last few weeks, Vegeta was still an enigma. One moment she believed she had figured him out and in the next he was proving her wrong. This was frustrating. She had been so sure – still was, actually - that he felt something for her, something other than pure lust, but now he was giving her the cold shoulder.

Vegeta wasn't someone who wore his heart on his sleeve, but it had been the subtle hints he had hidden in his comments that had made her feel wanted, not just physically but also emotionally. He had given her the feeling that he cared for her, though he had never said it aloud and now everything was so different. Was he just acting like this, because of her friends, or did he have other reasons? She had to ask him, she needed to know, but she had to wait for the opportune moment, preferably when they were alone.

Sighing, Bulma ran with her hand through her long aqua-colored locks. Talking to him when no one was around was going to be the main problem, because Bulma was sure that the others would never leave her alone in one room with him.

While she was listening to the young Namek and later got lost in her own thoughts, time flew by and even those, who had heard the tale of the legendary Treasure of Power before, listened again. Now and then they stopped, when one of them had thought to have heard something, but most of the time it was just some animal. Just once they had to cross the main path, but fortunately it had been completely deserted.

Everything was going very well for them and before they knew it, the sun was standing higher at the horizon and Vegeta halted in front of them, announcing, "We're there."

They were hidden behind some bushes, but through the gaps they could see a bay with some ships anchoring out in the water or at the footbridges. Several men, some dressed in uniform and some in casual wear, were milling around. Bulma was looking for the ship, on which she had spent the last few weeks until her involuntary bath in the raging sea, and smiled when she finally spotted it not that far away, berthing at the far end of one of the footbridges.

"Over there," Vegeta told them shortly after Bulma had spotted the ship and motioned with his hand to the ship. "That's my ship. The Ouji."

Bulma looked at him startled. It only now occurred to her that she had never found out or asked for the name of the ship, which had first been her prison and then her home for those few weeks. She smirked – Ouji was a fitting name for a ship captained by a prince. She guessed that Vegeta had named it so for two reasons – one was his pride and the other was to spite Frieza.

"How do we get there without getting into trouble?" ChiChi asked, her voice shaking slightly, when her eyes fell on the pistols and swords most of the men were carrying at their belts.

Goku frowned, as he assessed the situation and eventually looked at their prisoner. "Vegeta?"

Vegeta looked around and a silent agreement passed between them. "Leave it to me. Let me do the talking and I will get us to the ship. No matter what happens, your men have to keep their mouths shut, Kakarotto. If just one of them says something and something wrong, we might get a serious problem."

"Alright, I believe this can be arranged," Goku said and turned to his crew. "You heard him. Let's do this."

"How can we trust him? This might be a trap," Tenshinhan pointed out, glaring at Vegeta, while Yamcha was nodding his agreement.

"You have no other choice," Vegeta told them calmly.

Pulling out his sword, Yamcha stepped up to Vegeta and pointed the tip at his throat, but the Saiyajin didn't move an inch. "Oh, I believe we have another choice. We might just kill you now and then fight to get to the Ouji."

"Yamcha!" Goku hissed at him and pushed the sword down with his bare hands, ignoring the slight sting it caused. "Vegeta is right. We have to trust him, because I don't want to cause another massacre and maybe lose one or more of you in the process. We have come this far and I want to go home now with all of you." After Yamcha had grudgingly put his sword away, much to Goku's and also Bulma's relief, if Goku interpreted the look on her face correctly, he continued, "Be ready."

Vegeta led them again away from the bay until they stepped onto the path leading to the ships. Still no person was to be seen and this suited them just right. They followed the path for a few minutes and eventually arrived again at the bay, now seeing that they were close to the footbridge at which end the Ouji was to be seen.

Immediately, as they were noticed, a soldier came running up to them and, after he had stopped directly in front of Vegeta, said, "This dock is off limits to civilians."

Vegeta eyed him with a scrutinizing gaze. This soldier was still young and probably not long in service of the Beast, so Vegeta only frowned at him. "Don't you know, who I am? I'm Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyajins, I'm sure you must have heard of me."

The young soldier faltered slightly under his glare and took a step back. Fortunately another, rather raggedly looking sailor came up to them and Vegeta's face darkened even further, when he recognized him as a member of his old crew. "Is there a problem?" he asked, but he, too spluttered and his face paled considerably, when he saw the person in front of him. "V-Vegeta… But… Yeh're dead. The sea swallowed yeh…"

The glare turned into a smirk, as Vegeta stood proud and replied, "Such a lousy storm can't kill me. You should've thought of this, before you tried to get rid of me in such a manner. I'm here to reclaim my ship, so you'd rather back off, before I get rid of you."

"B-but Radditz—"

"Radditz is dead, and so is Nappa. You might find their bodies somewhere near Frieza's palace. And while you're at it, you might as well go looking for the Beast's body, if there's still a body to be found, of course. The fire might have turned it to ash."

If the pirate had been pale before, he was now completely white, as he stared in horror at the other pirate in front of him. "S-so this is wha' happen'd at the p'lace? Y-yeh killed… We saw the smoke an' heard somethin' that sounded like'n explosion, but… Frieza's dead?" Instead of answering, the smirk on Vegeta's face got even wider, and, looking left and right for help, the sailor only noticed that everyone else in closer proximity was staring at them with similar horrified expressions on their faces. "Y-yeh mus' be lyin'."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Vegeta only said calmly, "Would you like to test that theory? Because I'd really like to go on my ship now and if you stay in my way much longer…" He let the threat hanging, but he wouldn't have needed to say more anyway, as the other pirate and the soldier were already fleeing, along with almost everyone else, who had listened to this conversation.

"Well done. But how did you know about the fire?" Goku asked slightly confused, when they were alone, but grinning. "No one told you about it."

Vegeta growled. "I may be a pirate, but I'm not stupid and certainly not deaf. Even if people aren't talking to me, I'm still able to hear what they are talking about. But now let's board the ship and set off, before they come back and maybe bring reinforcements."

"You heard him!" Goku told the others, smiling brightly. "Let's get on the ship. We've lingered here on this island long enough!"

His announcement was met with great delight from the others, as they eagerly followed the Saiyajins and boarded the ship. The few pirates that were still on board had watched the exchange from afar, but had a pretty good idea what it had been about, so they voluntarily leapt over the rail and into the water, when they saw that Vegeta and those with him were heading towards them.

The plank to the ship was a bit shaky, so Goku happily helped ChiChi and a somewhat reluctant Bulma, when they stepped on deck. Juuhachigou ignored his helping hand, so he turned to Gohan and Dende and heaved the boys over the rail.

When he offered his help to Bardock, the older Saiyajin had only smirked at him and easily swung his legs over the rail. Ever since the fight at Frieza's palace had begun, or maybe even earlier, when he had first met his son again after many years, he felt completely revitalized. Whereas he had doubted at the beginning that he would even be able to walk, the adrenalin of the fight and the feeling of being finally free after long years of imprisonment made him stronger and he appeared to be much younger than he looked. He guessed that it might take some time until he was back to his old strength, but some rest, enough food and then training would see to it eventually.

As soon as everyone was standing on deck, Goku barked, again in his element as captain of a ship and his mood much better than before, now that they were finally returning to their home, "You know what you have to do! Weigh anchor! Hoist the sails!" Immediately, his crew began to work, Tenshinhan taking his place at the helm, while the others worked to set the sails and heave up the anchor. A grin spread over Goku's face, as he watched his men, before he turned again to Vegeta. "I believe it would be better, if you remained on deck as long as we need to leave this bay. Just in case someone thinks about attacking the ship. Your presence might intimidate them."

Vegeta nodded in agreement and walked over to the bow of his ship, the Ouji. His fingers were balled into tight fists, but he suppressed his anger. No matter how much he'd want it to be different, it was clear that yet another one had taken control and made him prisoner on his own ship. Still, he held his head high, as the sails billowed, the ship began to move and the new captain of the Ouji yelled,

"Let the journey home begin!"