Dragon Ball Z: Dynasty

By Feraligreater328

Chapter 56: Saiyan Love, Part 2

Back on Mt. Paozu...

Goku gleefully cheered as he back-flipped, eventually skidding back to the edge of the water. "This is fun!"

Chi-Chi skidded next to him, keeping a tight stance in contrast to Goku's looser stance. She was panting. "Well...I'm glad you're having fun fighting this thing..."

Chi-Chi wiped sweat from her brow. Goku chuckled. "Man, Chi-Chi, why are you so out of shape?"

She glared at him and shook her head. "Don't make me slap you."

The two of them stood next to each other as Zoonama approached. The giant, catfish monster had several bumps and bruises. A couple of his teeth were missing and his whiskers waved about furiously. "How dare you humans do this to me?!"

He raised his fist high into the air and tried to smash Goku and Chi-Chi, but both of them dodged. Chi-Chi leapt to the side, bouncing off of the rocky wall and delivering a brutal knee-smash to Zoonama's cheek. Zoonama gurgled and slumped over, falling to the ground with a mighty thud.

Goku smirked. "You think he'll stay down this time?"

Both of Zoonama's whiskers shot up, wrapping around hanging, rocky spires on the ceiling and lifting the slimy beast back to his feet. He snarled and began to vibrate them, making the entire mountain shake. Chi-Chi sighed. "I guess not. Not yet, at least..."

She lunged at Zoonama, sinking her foot into his stomach. The monster's whiskers unraveled from the stones and he stumbled back, doubled over in pain. Goku chuckled and jumped into the air, landing on Zoonama's head and grabbing him by the whiskers. "Ha! Let's see you make things quake now!"

Zoonama growled in frustration and shot his head forward, his whiskers unfurled like a whip and snatched Goku from the top of his head, slamming the Saiyan from Earth headfirst into the ground. Goku groaned. "Ow! Owowowowow!"

Chi-Chi called over to him. "Goku? Are you okay? Do you still remember who you are?"

Goku stood, a wicked look on his face. "I am Kakarot! I'm here to destroy the Earth!"

Chi-Chi flinched. "Uh..."

Goku lightheartedly chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm kidding! It's a joke!"

Chi-Chi narrowed her eyes. "That wasn't very fun-"

Goku charged at Chi-Chi, grabbing her and pulling her out of the way just in time to avoid being crushed by a boulder. Goku glared. "Hey! Be careful! You nearly crushed her!"

Zoonama roared. "DIE YOU ANTS!"

He wrapped his whiskers around two more stalactites and began to cause earthquakes again. Chi-Chi cursed. "Dammit! Would you-"

She dodged a falling rock. "CUT IT OUT WITH THAT DAMNED SHAKING!"

Chi-Chi prepared to launch another kick. But then, to her surprise, her phone started to ring. How did she even have service down here?! Chi-Chi leapt over a punch from Zoonama, wrapping her legs around the monster's forearm and answering. "Hello?!"

Gine answered on the other end. "Hey Chi-Chi. It's Gine. Should...we be worried? There's a lot more shaking than normal..."

Chi-Chi tried to play it off. "Don't you worry, Gine! Goku and I have everything-"

Zoonama raised his hand into the air and, with a mighty swing, he bucked Chi-Chi off of his wrist, sending her crashing to the ground. Chi-Chi shakily pushed herself up and groaned. "Ouch..."

She opened her eyes a crack and gasped in horror. "NO! MY PHONE!"

Chi-Chi scrambled over to her shattered phone, picking it up and moaning. "Dammit! That had so many family pictures on it..."

Zoonama chortled, tossing a rock at Goku. "Stupid human! Your pathetic memories are nothing to the God of the Paozu Ri-"

Chi-Chi leapt up like a bolt of lightning, delivering a shattering kick to the underside of Zoonama'a jaw and sending him crashing into the ceiling hard enough to shatter his precious stalactites. He fell to the ground with a thud. "Ow! My head!"

Zoonama lifted his head to glare at Chi-Chi, but then recoiled in terror. The woman was standing there, her eyes glowing bright red and her teeth gnashing. "You stupid catfish..."

She slammed her fist into her open palm. "I'M GOING TO PAN FRY YOU!"

Goku landed next to Chi-Chi, a smile on his face. She was angry, but he was still having a blast. "I think you might've made her mad."

Chi-Chi struck a fighting stance with enough force to make the ground around her crack. Goku struck a stance as well. And then, he and Chi-Chi both powered up, unleashing their ki. Zoonama struggled to his feet, fear spread across his massive face. "Now now...let's talk about this..."

Goku and Chi-Chi both shouted as loud as they could and then charged at the beast.

At Bardock and Gine's house...

Gine stared down at the "connection interrupted" message on the screen of her phone. She stroked her chin. "Hmm...should we be worried about that?"

Another shockwave made the entire house shake as she turned to Bardock and Gohan. Her husband was sitting at the table, shirtless, and Gohan was in the middle of his science homework. Gine leaned against the table. "What do you guys think?"

Bardock shrugged. "Let's feel it out."

Gohan and Gine nodded and all three of them closed their eyes to sense for Goku and Chi-Chi's energy. Bardock nodded. "Okay...not feeling anything too wrong..."

Gine sighed in relief. "They don't feel too injured..."

Gohan smiled. "Wow. Dad is really holding back...but I didn't know that Mom had that much power~"

Bardock scratched his neck. "She could kick Leek's ass...she feels like she's about equal with Fasha..."

Gine nodded. "If she was this strong when Raditz first came to Earth, she could have probably killed him by herself. 1,800 or so?"

Bardock nodded. "Sounds about right..."

Their conversation was cut out by a sudden, growling gurgle. Bardock and Gine's eyes both snapped open and they turned to their blushing grandson. "S-Sorry...I'm starting to get hungry..."

The two of them paused for a moment, but then they both burst out laughing. Gine waved at her grandson. "Don't worry, Gohan. The ramen is almost ready~"

Gine walked back into the kitchen and started to get bowls out of the cabinet. Bardock leaned over and glanced down at his grandson's homework. "That's not how propulsion works. Remember kid, force is a change in momentum with time."

Gohan nodded and began to erase. "Right. I thought I was doing something wrong..."

Bardock leaned back and belched, scratching his side. Gohan smiled. "It's neat that you know that, Grandpa Bardock."

He shrugged. "I've spent all of my life around spaceships, kid. It's just a tool of the trade."

After a few minutes, Gine came back with three steaming bowls of ramen. She had a look of concern on her face. "Do you think we should go and check on them, Bardock?"

He shook his head. "Nah. They're fine. Chi-Chi probably just dropped her phone into the water or something. No reason to interrupt their alone time."

Gine set the bowls down, moving Gohan's schoolwork and setting his down with a smile. "I hope you enjoy it."

Gohan instantly began to eat with a huge smile on his face. Bardock smirked. "I think he likes it."

He began to eat as well and, soon enough, Gine joined them. It had been a lovely day for the three, just a peaceful time between two grandparents and their grandson.

Back in West City, the High Dine Restaurant and Karaoke Bar...

The night out for Raditz, Launch, Bulma, and Vegeta was still raging on. For the fifth time that evening, Bulma had taken to the stage to sing yet another song. Unlike her first couple of outings, however, this attempt came submerged under nearly two jugs of sake and several other cocktails. Bulma's face glowed bright red as she slurred through lyrics on stage.

Still with the same passion as her first song, just far less understandable to the naked ear.

Vegeta, just as plastered as Bulma, cheered from his seat. "Go Earth woman! Sing with all of your might!"

Vegeta's normal, smug persona was gone. His voice was much more lighthearted as he picked up his glass and downed another massive swig. Launch, sitting on her side of the booth and far less drunk than Vegeta or Bulma, chuckled. "Just a couple of dorks~"

Soon Launch was joined on her side of the booth by Raditz, freshly returned from the bathroom. His face was wet, as if he had splashed it with water, or he was sweating, or possibly both. His jovial mood had faded, replaced by a face twisted into an unnerved sneer. He looked like he was going to throw up.

Launch leaned onto him, grabbing Raditz by the arm and kissing his bicep. "What's wrong, Love? Did you drink too much?"

Raditz glanced down, staring into Launch's loving eyes, and then his face immediately lit up red. "N-No! No! I'm fine. I just...I... I just...uh...I just...I..."

He cleared his throat and shook his head. "I..."

Raditz buried his face in his hands. "I... uh..."

Launch smiled, playfully teasing. "You...just?"

He nodded. "I... I just...uh..."

She squeezed his arm. "Calm down. You can talk to me. You don't have to stutter or struggle for the words. Just take a deep breath and speak from the heart."

Raditz winced and his tongue became fully tied. Launch sighed, moving her head from his arm to his chest, directly over his heart. "Let me listen..."

She took a deep breath and smiled. "What I'm hearing is...this isn't the date you wanted this evening. You wanted a nice night for me and you. Right?"

Raditz nodded. Launch smiled gently. "I know. This was unfair to you. And I'm sorry. But..."

She sat up straight, pulling Raditz's face down to hers and giving him a long, romantic kiss on the lips. "Thank you for helping me try to make Bulma happy. I'm very grateful. I love you, Raditz."

Raditz smiled, taking in a deep, sharp breath. No matter how many times she said that to him, he had to struggle each time not to immediately burst into tears. Raditz held her close. He looked down at her, swallowing a lump in his throat. "That's not all that my heart is saying..."

Launch cocked her head. "What else then?"

Another long silence. She smiled. "I think I understand. Let's just go and pay and head out, Vegeta and Bulma both sorta live at Capsule Corp, so they can help each other get home~"

Raditz silently nodded. He and Launch both got up and walked towards the front, leaving a plastered and cheering Vegeta behind to continue his semi-conscious cheering for Bulma.

Outside the High Dine Restaurant...

Raditz stared into the front window of the High Dine with a terrified look on his face. Launch was standing there, waiting in line to pay for their dinner while he waited outside. This was it. His big moment!

The Saiyan stared up at the stars, remembering his and Launch's first night together. Falling asleep on her couch while watching a movie and agreeing to a second date the next morning. It was everything that Raditz ever wanted in his life. Since Gine and Bardock had died, since Kakarot had been sent on a planet so far away from him, since he was left alone with people like Nappa and Vegeta, Raditz had just wanted someone in his life who he knew cared about him.

And while he had gained back his parents, and his brother, and even Vegeta to an extent, this was truly what Raditz felt he wanted. He gripped his fists tight and glanced up at the stars again. "Launch, will you...would you...it would be an honor if you would..."

Raditz thought about Kakarot's relationship with Chi-Chi, his father's relationship with his mother. Now it was his turn. He turned to the window and looked in again just in time to see Launch turn towards him. She smiled and cocked her head in that special way she always did and a chord struck in Raditz's heart. Launch disappeared from sight, walking to the door, and Raditz finally knew what to say.

Launch opened the door to the restaurant, turning around to wave by to the friendly waiter at the front of house. As she turned, however, she saw a sight that she hadn't expected. Raditz was kneeling in front of her, holding a small, diamond ring up to her. His face was bright red and he was sweating bullets, but Raditz finally spoke clearly. "I love you too. Marry me."

Launch gasped, clamping her hands over her mouth. Tears of joy filled the woman's eyes as she stared down at her beloved boyfriend knelt in front of her. Raditz swallowed a lump in his throat. "W-W-Well...?"

All at once, Launch leapt from her spot at the top of the stairs down at him, screaming at the top of her lungs. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH~!"

Back inside the restaurant...

Bulma let loose one final primal scream as she finished her latest song. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH~!"

When she finished, Bulma was panting hard. But, the crowd in front of her was still polite enough to applaud. She waved, a hazy smile on her face, and left the stage for the next person to step up. She lumbered over to the bar, slapping her hand on the counter. "Scotch rocks. Now!"

The drink came sliding over and Bulma picked it up. As she lifted it to her mouth, however, she was surprised to be joined by her "double date" for the evening. Vegeta sat on a barstool next to Bulma. He reached across the bar and grabbed a full bottle of liquor off the shelf while the bartender was distracted, popping off the top and draining half of it in one swig. He and Bulma glared at each other, but then Vegeta smirked. "You sing with Saiyan-like ferocity. I guess everyone has to be good at something, huh?"

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Shut the hell up, Vegeta. Do you ever stop running your mouth?"

Vegeta took another swig. "That's the pot calling the kettle black, no?"

Another silence, but then they both laughed out loud. Neither could really say that the other was wrong here, if they were being honest with themselves. Bulma lifted her drink to her mouth, but missed and managed to pour what was left of it onto her shoulder. "Shit."

Vegeta handed her his stolen bottle. "Here. Drink this."

Bulma chuckled, taking the bottle as Vegeta slammed his head onto the counter. "Thanks, Vegeta. I guess every asshole has their bright side, huh?"

She glanced over at him and winked "You know...you aren't such a bad guy..."

Vegeta smirked, seemingly unable to lift his head. "Shut up. I'm pure evil."

Bulma giggled, reaching up and popping off a dress strap with her thumb. "Well...pure evil can come in all sorts of sexy forms, I guess~"

Vegeta lifted his head, confused. "What the hell are you doing?"

Bulma had no chance to answer this question as, suddenly, a brash voice spoke from the end of the bar. "Hopefully she's trying to get you to take her home so she'll quit embarrassing herself up on stage!"

Vegeta and Bulma both glared towards the voice, a muscular guy at the end of the bar with two floozies hanging off of his arms. "Chad is trying to impress his lay-days! And her voice is giving them headaches! How is Chad supposed to score when his lay-days have headaches? Take your chick and her screechy voice and get lost!"

Vegeta growled under his breath. "You can't seriously think that this bar between us will stop me from kill-"

Suddenly, to Vegeta's shock, a bottle came sailing through the air and smashed into Chad's head. He collapsed to the ground and held his bleeding forehead. "Ouch, dammit! That hurt!"

He shakily stood, but was then knocked right back to the ground as Bulma slammed her barstool over his back. "Whose voice are you calling screechy?!"

Chad's dates quickly came to his defense. The first one shouted. "Hey bitch! Who do you think you are doing that to Chad?"

The second one stepped up to Bulma, slapping her across the face. "Apologize, ya old bag!"

Bulma's pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks. And then she lunged, tackling both of the girls to the ground and raining blow after blow down upon the both of them. Vegeta watched on, stunned and aroused, as the fight got more and more violent. Bulma picked up one of the girls and threw her over the bar, into the back wall. The other girl climbed onto Bulma's back and tried to put her in a headlock, but Bulma responded by ramming her into the wall.

At the laughably violent display in front of him, Vegeta began to laugh. He buried his face in his hand and laughed harder and harder as Bulma beat the hell out both of the girls at once. Chad recovered and tried to grab Bulma from behind, but she responded with an elbow directly into his nose.

That made Vegeta laugh even harder, so hard that he flopped off of his stool and onto the ground. With nearly a gallon of alcohol in his system, Vegeta began to fade. Soon, the Prince was unconscious. He laid there, drunk and slumbering, as Bulma's barfight spread further and further outward.

Back outside the restaurant...

Raditz and Launch were both holding each other tight. Launch had tears streaming down her face as the two of them walked off. She was so happy, nuzzling Raditz and kissing his neck. Raditz cradled her gently in his arms, supporting her as they both drunkenly wandered off in the direction of Launch's apartment.

Both of them were in utter bliss, none-the-wiser of the fifteen West City Police cars that pulled up to the front of the restaurant as they walked off.

Back on Mt. Paozu...

The beaten Zoonama groaned as he floated, belly-up, in the Paozu River. Several massive lumps were bulging from the top of his head as he laid defeated. His victorious opponents, Goku and Chi-Chi, were sat on the riverbank. There clothes were somewhat damaged. Not destroyed, but sort of tattered. Neither of them sustained any critical injuries, but there were some bumps and bruises to tend to.

Goku was knelt in front of Chi-Chi, grinding several herbs and berries into a fine paste. Once that was done, he began to gently rub the mixture onto Chi-Chi's swollen, left ankle. "Grandpa Gohan taught me how to make this one that time he twisted his ankle when we were fishing. It should make the pain fade quite a bit."

Chi-Chi winced, but smiled. "Thank you, Goku."

Goku grabbed a banana leaf that he had prepared, using it to apply even pressure over Chi-Chi's ankle before ripping a strip off of his shirt and tightly wrapping it around. "Okay. That should give your ankle some good support. It only looks like ya twisted it, so it should be fine after about a week."

Goku stood and stretched his back. Casually, he called over to Zoonama. "Hey! When you get back up you better get lost and stop bothering people, got it?"

Zoonama groaned. Goku smirked. "Good! You don't want us to have to come after you again. Chi-Chi might not go so easy on you next time~"

Goku turned his back to Chi-Chi, kneeling down. "Welp, it's already pretty late. I bet Gohan's in bed by now. We should head back."

Chi-Chi shook her head. "No Goku, not yet."

Goku turned, looking confused. Chi-Chi pointed up. "Top of the mountain. We might have defeated Zoonama, but we still have one more thing I want to do tonight."

Back at Bardock and Gine's house...

Bardock set the sleeping Gohan down onto his and Gine's bed. He let loose small sigh and smiled, ruffling the sleeping kid's hair. Gine stepped up next, kissing her grandson on his forehead and tucking him in tight. "Goodnight Gohan. We love you."

With a smile, Gine turned to Bardock. "Well...I guess we don't have a bed tonight..."

Bardock shrugged. "We have the couch in the den. And we have Raditz's bed. He certainly hasn't used it over the past few months."

Gine warmly smiled. "Yeah. Him and Launch seem really happy together..."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Actually, Bardock, I have a better idea. Seeing as we have a bit of free time without a chance of someone dropping in on us."

Bardock smirked. "Oh, you wanna-"

Gine shook her head. "Get your mind out of the gutter. This is important..."

Bardock cocked his head. Gine motioned for him to follow along. "It's time that...you and I had a talk, Bardock..."

Back in West City...

Vegeta snorted as he lazily woke up. "H-Huh?! What's going on..."

He tried to bring his hands to his face, but something held them behind him. Vegeta looked back, annoyed, and saw a pair of silver bracelets locked around his wrists. "Where am I...?"

Bulma groaned, her head leaned against the window in the seat next to Vegeta. "You're in a police car. We've been arrested for, uh..."

The cop up-front chimed in. "Assault and battery, Little Miss Barfight~"

Bulma kicked the cage between her and him. "Shut up!"

The cop chuckled. "And destruction of police property too! Wowie-wow! You'd better have a good lawyer..."

Vegeta was non-plussed, a vein popping out of his head. "How dare you restrain me?! Do you know who I am?!"

The cop chuckled. "Not a clue short stuff~"

Vegeta grinded his teeth. The cop continued. "Now why don't you two shut up 'til we get to the station! We can get ya both some matching, orange unif-"

A pair of muscular arms, a broken silver bracelet on each wrist, ripped through the steel grate separating the front and the back of the police car. The cop screamed in panic and terror, snatching on the wheel and making the car skid out of control. Soon enough, the vehicle was flipping until it finally came to a stop in the middle of a deserted stretch of road.

The officer laid crumpled in his driver's seat, unconscious with a massive lump bulging from his head. From the back, Vegeta crawled out of the wrecked car. He stood and cracked his back, pulling at the silver bracelets on his wrists and tearing them away with no effort. The Prince spat. "Stupid human..."

And then he began to lumber away.

Soon after, another emerged from the wrecked car. Bulma groaned as she stood up. "Oh my stomach..."

Her hands were still cuffed behind her back. "I think I..."

Bulma's face turned green and she ran off behind the car, loudly vomiting for a solid minute. Bulma limped out from behind the car. "Hey Vegeta!"

Vegeta was standing on the edge of the road, clutching his head. Bulma stomped over to him, shouting at the top of her lungs. "Vegeta! Help me!"

The Prince rolled his eyes. "What?! What do you want?!"

Bulma sighed, frustrated. She fell onto her butt in the grass and, with some effort, managed to get her cuffed hands in front of her. "These! I'm not strong enough to break these by myself! Get them off of me so I can go home!"

Vegeta shook his head. "No."

Bulma roared in frustration, lifting her cuffed wrists above her head. "WHY NOT?!"

Vegeta grabbed Bulma's arms, pulling them around his neck and pulling her onto his back. "You're drunk. I'm drunk. Anything that makes you easier to carry is good for both of us."

Bulma flinched. "...you're taking me home?"

Vegeta groaned. "Don't make it weird. I live there too."

And then, Vegeta took off. The two of them streaked through the night sky, a massive full Moon glowing on the horizon behind them as they did. Wanting to feel steady, Bulma wrapped her legs around Vegeta's torso and hugged him close with her arms. As she got closer to his face, Vegeta's nose wrinkled. "What is that damned smell?!"

Bulma sighed. "I did just vomit..."

Vegeta rolled his eyes and gagged. And then, he descended down to a lake in the middle of a park. "Rinse your mouth out."

Bulma cocked her head. "W-With the lake-"

Vegeta shouted. "No, with the air. Of course, with the lake water!"

Bulma nodded and did that, cupping a handful of water in her palms. She swished it in her mouth and gargled before spitting it back into the lake. "Better?"

Vegeta sighed and nodded. "Better."

And then, they started flying again. There was a long silence, but then Bulma began spoke. "So, uh, you've been living at Capsule Corp, huh? Did my Dad give you a room?"

Vegeta shook his head. "No. I don't need charity. I've been sleeping in the Gravity Chamber..."

Bulma nodded. "Oh, okay..."

And then, it hit Bulma. A combination of late-night weariness and alcohol-fueled inhibition encouragement hit Bulma like a truck and she finally allowed what she had been holding in for months to come out. Vegeta raised an eyebrow as he felt two wet spots forming on his back. "Are you crying? Really?"

Bulma sniffled and then she began to gently sob. "N-No..."

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "It's just an arrest. Get over it! How weak do you have to be to-"

The gentle sobbing broke into something much worse. Full-blown, pained gasping. Bulma shuddered as she laid there on Vegeta's back, crying her eyes out and screaming. Vegeta was caught off-guard. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Bulma was shaking. "Sh-Shut up...shut up and leave me alone...just...go away..."

Vegeta was quick to remind her of one key fact. "You're on my back. I am entirely incapable of going away."

Another long pause, this time with weeping.

And then, Bulma spoke again. "My relationship...with Yamcha...it ended and I..."

Vegeta cocked his head. "Who?"

Bulma took a deep breath, shakily letting it out. "Yamcha. My ex-boyfriend. The guy who your green monsters killed..."

Vegeta snorted. "Oh. Him."

She continued. "...after he died like that. I just...I shut him out and he started seeing other women. Our relationship soured and ended and it's all my fault..."

She buried her face in Vegeta's back. "...he says he shouldn't have cheated on me, but I drove him to it. It all went wrong and I'm the one who made it that way..."

Tears started to form again. "And now I'm all alone and-"

Vegeta interrupted. "On the Saiyan Homeworld, relationships and marriages are not so stupidly emotional. Unless you happen to be Gine and Bardock, but they're both exceptions to the rule."

Bulma lifted her head, her brow angrily furrowed. "Well this isn't the Saiyan Homeworld! This is Earth-"

Vegeta cut her off again. "But, relationships between Saiyans are meant to last. We might not care about each other's emotions, but that is only because emotion is irrelevant in our society. For the most part, Saiyans that end up bonded are concerned for the well-being of their significant other. They aren't stupidly emotional about it, but they are quick to notice problems with their partner and work them out for the betterment of their partner."

Vegeta scoffed. "If this Yamcha noticed that you were uncomfortable in your relationship and his first response was to seek out someone behind your back, then the relationship failing is just as much his fault as yours, if not more."

Bulma still had tears in her eyes, but she was no longer crying. She still had her arms and legs wrapped around Vegeta tightly. "Vegeta..."

Vegeta smirked. "And to make matters worse, the fool abandoned a bond with one of the only acceptable females on this miserable planet. He had a woman with a backbone and a raging spirit and he allowed that to slip through his fingers. Idiot."

Bulma spoke quietly. "Y-You mean that?"

Vegeta nodded. "Indeed. Kakarot has his human woman, Raditz has his human woman, and they both have a very Saiyan-like spirit. That pathetic fool had you, another Saiyan-like woman, and he loused it up. No wonder a Saibaman was able to kill him. It's absolutely baff-"

Surprising Vegeta, Bulma pulled a rather risky move. She loosened her grip with her arms and legs and allowed herself to circle around Vegeta's body, pressing herself against his chest.

Vegeta was silent, and so was Bulma. They stared into each other's eyes for what felt like an endless moment, both of them drunk off their ass...and then Bulma smashed her lips against Vegeta's and the two engaged in a fiery, midair kiss.

Meanwhile, across town in Launch's apartment...

The lights were all off in Launch's apartment. Both she and Raditz arrived, ripped off their clothes, and crashed into bed. They were totally worn out from everything that had happened that evening. Lights from the city shone in through the window, making the diamond on Launch's new ring sparkle.

The two of them held each other close, tightly connecting with a loving embrace. Raditz was sleeping peacefully, a satisfied, gentle smile on his face. Launch was the same...until her nose started to wrinkle. Launch began to shudder and, soon enough, she let out a powerful sneeze.

Blonde Launch sat up and gripped her head tight. She instantly felt something was off. She felt the cold tinge of metal on her forehead. She held her hand out and observed the ring on her finger. "Did Blue steal th..."

And then, it hit her. Blonde Launch looked from the ring, and then over to Raditz. She gripped her fists tight and they began to shake. The same shake they normally did when she started to get angry. But Blonde Launch wasn't angry this time.

Happy tears welled up in her eyes and she began to bounce up and down in her bed, a giddy as she had ever been in her entire life. Blonde Launch didn't scream. She didn't want to wake Raditz. She simply laid back down and pulled him even closer, closing her eyes and falling asleep next to her new fiancee.

Back on Mt. Paozu...

Chi-Chi rested comfortably in the cave that was at the very top of Mt. Paozu. It was a modest cave, none-too-deep and with a grand view over the entire region. Her sprained ankle ached, but Chi-Chi didn't care. This was what she really wanted from today.

Goku quickly returned, a bundle of firewood in his hand, and set it down. Chi-Chi smiled and blasted a warm, roaring fire into existence. She reached over to her backpack and began to dig as Goku shivered next to the fire. "J-Jeez...it's s-so ch-chilly up here during th-this s-season..."

Chi-Chi smiled. "Well come here, silly."

She pulled a massive, furry blanket from within the bag as well as the last of her pre-made meals. Goku came over and sat next to her and she wrapped the blanket around both of them. And so, the two of them sat there, cuddling for warmth and enjoying Chi-Chi's cooking.

Chi-Chi sighed. "Okay. Confession time..."

Goku chuckled. "You could have beaten Zoonama without me? Yeah. I know."

Chi-Chi gasped and looked to her husband. Goku smiled. "I can sense power levels, Chi-Chi. I know how strong you've become~"

He ate another bite of his food. "I knew all along."

Chi-Chi blushed. "Oh. I see. And here I thought I was being clever..."

Goku shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I'm happy to be here. It's nice to get to spend a day with my wife. I've missed that since Gohan was born. It's been a while..."

Chi-Chi smiled sweetly. "Oh Goku..."

She gave him a kiss on the cheek, just like the first time she had kissed him so long ago. Goku chuckled and rubbed his finger under his nose. Chi-Chi reached over and pulled the satellite TV she had packed from her bag. Goku cocked his head. "What's that for?"

Chi-Chi smiled. "The World Martial Arts Tournament came back while you were out in space. I recorded it so that we could watch it together when you got back. I was just waiting for the right time to do it..."

Goku gasped. "Wow! They really brought it back?!"

Chi-Chi nodded. "Yup. And I had Bulma put all of the recordings onto this TV so we could watch them all in a row."

Goku's eyes lit up. "Oooh! Cool! I can't wait to see who's fighting. I'm gonna join the next one, whenever it is!"

Chi-Chi sighed. "I knew you would say that..."

She flicked on the TV and pressed a button on the bottom, and the video of the first match started playing. Goku was excited. "Ooh! Who are those guys?!"

Chi-Chi held her finger to her lips. "Shush and you'll hear."

The Tournament Announcer spoke into his microphone. "We have an electrifying match to start off this year's World Martial Arts Tournament folks! Stepping into the ring is Spopovich, the World Champion of the XXX Wrestling Conglomerate! And, following him is his opponent! A rising star in the world of martial arts! Mark Hercule! Or, as he would like to be called from here on out to honor his dojo, Mr. Satan!"

As the crowd cheered for each of the fighters, Chi-Chi leaned her head onto Goku's shoulder. And Goku responded by leaning his head onto Chi-Chi's head. The Tournament Announcer shouted out. "BEGIN!"

And so, that was how Goku and Chi-Chi spent the rest of their eventful day. Huddled under a blanket and watching the World Martial Arts Tournament, both happy to be with one another.

Meanwhile, in Paozu Forest...

Illuminated by moonlight, Bardock and Gine soon came upon a nice clearing in the middle of the forest. Gine was the first to sit down, plopping herself down in the middle of the grass and patting a spot on the ground for Bardock to sit on next to her. He did and the two of them sat there, observing the Full Moon in all of its beauty. Bardock spoke. "Yeah...it still feels weird just to stare at it like this..."

His tail unfurled and waved around freely. "I feel like I should be destroying a city right now..."

Gine sighed and smiled. "But, isn't it nice not to?"

She fell back and laid down in the soft, green grass. Bardock nodded. "Yeah. I guess so..."

The two of them laid there, staring up at the stars and the Moon in the night sky. It lasted a long time. Just a long while of lying there, crickets playing their songs around the two of them and fireflies flickering in the air above. It was a uniquely peaceful experience for the two aging Saiyans.

Soon enough, the two of them turned and looked at one another. Again, they stayed silent. For as long as they had been together, Bardock and Gine didn't need words. All they had to do was stare into each other's eyes to see what the other was feeling. Gine sniffled and the beginnings of tears began to form, but she quickly wiped them away. "You know...I still can't get over how nice it is to see your face again..."

Gine smiled. "I missed you."

Bardock smirked. "Missing out on a chance to cry your eyes out? Who are you and what did you do with my wife?"

Gine sighed. "After I became a Super Saiyan. And after I defeated Garlic Junior. I made a choice, ya know? All of my problems from my life...the Saiyan, the Makyans, Frieza...they were all gone. I managed to outlast everything that had ever hurt me and made me feel lesser. So, what would be the point in being miserable and meek anymore, ya know?"

She chuckled. "I might not ever be a full-on warrior...but I'm not going to just be a pushover anymore. I'm not going to let anything else take away my smile. Not ever again."

Gine looked away from Bardock and back to the sky. "But I'd be lying if I said that there wasn't still something hurting me..."

Bardock was silent at first. But then he spoke. "I've felt the same, actually. Killing King Cold was gratifying in a way I can't describe. Doing it with our sons and whatever Vegeta is to us at this point felt even better. But..."

He chuckled. "I've failed you twice, Gine. Broke my word to you and shit. And, yeah... it hurts..."

Bardock was alone. Alone with someone who he trusted. With not a single person around to barge into their conversation. He lifted his hand to his face and pressed it over his eyes as two streams came leaking down. "Damn it..."

He gritted his teeth. "Letting you die like that was a failure...and then not speaking to you after was a failure...I just-"

Gine spoke. "Shush."

Bardock moved his hand and Gine was there, wiping away the tears from his eyes. "Don't you ever call yourself a failure. You gave everything for our sons to survive the destruction of Planet Vegeta. If it wasn't for that, then we wouldn't even be here right now, Bardock."

She continued. "And the stuff on Namek isn't your fault either. You fought Frieza until your body stopped. You can't be held accountable for that monster's actions."

It was at that point that Gine realized she was crying too. "And the falling out that we had..."

Bardock sat up, grabbing Gine gently by the shoulders and pulling her in for a kiss. One which Gine passionately returned. The two of them separated and stared in each-other's eyes. And then, they both smiled. Gine smiled wide. "Hardships aren't forever, Bardock. We lasted, we persevered, we hit a few bumps along the way...but look at where we are! We're on a peaceful planet where we can freely stare at a beautiful night sky without fear of turning into monsters! We're finally free, Bardock!"

Gine wiped the tears from Bardock's face with her thumbs and he shakily chuckled. "We finally get what you wanted for us. We get to retire and just...live."

The two of them fell silent. But then, operating on the same wavelength, the spoke simultaneously. "I love you so much."

Gine nuzzled her head under Bardock's chin and the two of them fell back. Their tails intertwined and they both began to drift off to sleep. Bardock sheepishly smirked. "You know...Kakarot and Raditz both told me that you'd probably react like this..."

Gine yawned and smiled. "Maybe our sons are just becoming smarter than you..."

Bardock chuckled and sighed. "Yeah. Sure."

The next morning, at Capsule Corporation...

Bulma woke up to the sunlight shining through her window and directly onto her face. Her head was pounding. It she didn't know it would end all life on Earth, she would create something to blow the offending star out of the sky.

Bulma slowly sat up in her bed, groaning all the way, and placed her face into her hands. As she rubbed her face, however, something gave Bulma pause: the sound of metal clinking. She pulled her head away from her hands and saw, to her confusion, a pair of handcuffs locked around her wrists. "Wh-What did I do last night...?"

She turned towards her nightstand, wanting to fish for a pair of pliers to remove the offending cuffs, but was taken aback by something even more unexpected. Vegeta was laying right next to her, his bare chest laid out plain for her to see. Bulma rubbed the side of her face. "Wha..."

She peered over Vegeta and saw a pile of clothes, her outfit from last night and his outfit from last night, piled on the floor. Slowly, Bulma lifted up the blanket and looked under it, seeing about what she expected to see. "I... see..."

Bulma flopped back onto her pillow. "Never. Never drink again. Ever."

But then, to Bulma's surprise, Vegeta's arm scooped under her pillow and pulled her close. The Prince was still fast asleep, but Bulma was pulled right up next to him. Bulma looked up at the slumbering Prince. "Hmm..."

And then, she pulled her arms close to her chest and laid her head on his. "I guess this isn't so bad right now..."

And so, Bulma fell back asleep, content with the man that she was sleeping next to.

Proofreading: StevenBodner