Dawn had come, the sky now a pale cerulean, the planets only faint spheres behind the clouds. Feeling the sun's rays hitting his cheek, Tien sat up from the grassy ground where he'd curled up to rest late last night, too exhausted to even return to his capsule house nestled in the rocks nearby. He lowered his head and stared at his lap, his legs crossed beneath him.

He folded his hands and sighed. Much weighed on his mind, yet he resolved to ignore it all, to allow his mind to grow blank and only focus on meditation. The waterfall crashing behind him, the chirping of birds in the trees, the soft sounds of the forest. But all he heard and saw in his mind was Launch. Her face, her body, her moan, the feel of her, the taste of her. It was enough to drive him mad.

I need to focus on training! The Saiyan must die. I won't allow him to sleep in her bed, to threaten all our lives. Then, the others will be next. No more distractions. Then, I will do as I originally planned.

He stood, dropping his black dress slacks that were now filthy, and wearing only modern boxers, he shed them as well and walked into the cold water to cleanse himself. Tien's expression was grim, turning to face the skyline over the mountainside as he sat and allowed the water to purify him.

Raditz recognized a familiar scent and opened his eyes. He turned his head and nudged Launch's blue locks aside with his nose, pressing his feverish lips to her cool forehead. The girl breathed heavily, still lost in sleep as he moved his arm to stroke up her thigh, grazing the silky skin of her exposed bottom.

He admired how she murmured something of a complaint in her sleep, making a small smile grow on his face. Raditz used his arm to pull her onto him, his tail writhing around her waist and tickling her sleeping form. He wanted her to wake up and amuse him, to cook him his breakfast and bathe him again, and perhaps this time even join him. Raditz snickered mischievously, pulling her up closer and gently feeling her sensual form under his hands, enjoying the coolness of her skin against his heated flesh.

"Wake up, Launch. I'm hungry." He murmured, and she opened one eye a sliver, turning away from the light and groaning softly. He chuckled, tickling her cheek with his tail. Launch started awake with a gasp, lifting her head and sitting up on his abdomen, her small hands planted on his chest.

She looked down at him with sudden apprehension, diverting her eyes from his soft ones so full of warmth and love that they seemed like stained glass obsidian in the sunlight, not showing her any hint of coldness. He pushed gently on her cheek with his tail to encourage her to look at him, wrapping it softly around her shoulders to pull her back down, his hands circling her waist. Raditz became frustrated as she resisted his gentle ministrations, turning her cheek the other way.

"What is it, Launch? I want you close. Come here." He rumbled, pressing himself against her bottom and moving suggestively.

"No!" She cried out, jumping up and separating herself from him.

"What do you mean, no?" He frowned, tilting his head. Launch tried to move, feeling his tail tightening around her chest to restrain her but not enough to hurt her.

"I don't know who you are anymore!" She cried out, turning away and pressing on his chest to lift herself up.

"Who I am? I'm the same as before...!" Raditz exclaimed and sat himself up against the headboard with a wince of pain. She looked down at his chest and saw that his bandages had been changed, and there was dried blood there. Launch reached and touched it, frowning worriedly.

"The old man did it." He said, scoffing. He hadn't enjoyed waking up to see the unfamiliar faces instead of hers.

"Oh..?" She said, lowering her head. She had felt something strange in her sleep; the other Launch's mind was all over last night, and the feelings... were unlike anything she'd ever felt before. Only blurred images came to mind, one in particular being Tien's face twisted in pleasure, a blur of sensations coming with it before her sudden heartbreak.

"That girl caused it! She left to be mated!" He growled, thinking furiously of her other self.

"What's it to you!?" She spat lowly, her lip curling back. A streak of jealousy flashed through her whilst thinking of her other self, her sister.

Raditz growled with agitation, exhaling sharply from his nose.

"I don't want that weakling male's scent on you. You know that." He said, meeting her bared teeth with his own.

"Why not just kill him, that's what you do isn't it, kill people!?" She shrieked, her once soft velvet violet eyes now dark and cutting. Raditz smirked and chuckled lowly.

"So, you know. Yes, that is what I have done in the past; does that pose an issue?" He smiled smugly, but his inner voice wasn't as indifferent.

"Of course it does! Was that your plan all along when you got better, to kill us?" She cried out, tears falling from her eyes. She furrowed her brow and let them fall and dapple her chest.

"It was..." He said flatly. But he seemed to stop his train of thought.

"Why?" She snapped. It was Raditz's turn to look away. He allowed his tail to loosen and come to lie still on the bed. Launch sat down slowly on him, apprehensively gripping his chest with her nails. She didn't know why, but she felt as if she were ready to fight him, to slash him with her nails like a wild animal.

"Until now, that's all I ever thought my life would be. Purge, feast, fuck, repeat. I won't lie to you. I haven't had the ideal life you earthlings all seem to honor." He said grimly and turned back to gaze unflinchingly into her eyes. "I never had that luxury."

Launch allowed her anger to ebb just a small amount, removing her nails from his skin where they had made small crescent shaped wounds. "No..?"

" ..No. As a young child of only several years, my power level was judged to be too low. In our society, children with low-level power could only become engineers or infiltration babies. The babies were sent to other planets with the hope that if they grew strong enough to take that planet over, then they could return home and be promoted to a military position.

So at a very young age, I was left to fend for myself; either conquer or die. I was angry... I... hated my father for sending me away. I always wanted to be a soldier, to wear the Saiyan armor...to be like him." He snorted, darting his eyes away with embarrassment. It was the truth. The hard truth he hated to admit. Launch's eyes softened; she nodded gently for him to continue. Raditz blinked hard.

"I wanted to stay with my family. That's all. But there I found myself, alone in a strange world. Ravenous. Angry... So yes, I took my rage out on anything that moved. I destroyed entire civilizations. I ate what I had to; I needed the strength to fight. I was a weak child; I fought until my little bones were broken and my blood was indistinguishable from the victims' I was soaked in."

His eyes grew hardened as he spoke; he pulled Launch closer to him and lowered his voice to a graveling whisper.

"I was discovered days later by my own kind. His name was Nappa. He was the general of The Saiyan Army. He told me that our planet was destroyed by a meteor shower. All the people on it, save my child brother Kakarot and Prince Vegeta." He spoke bitterly as if he was spitting the distasteful words from his tongue. Launch felt saddened by his words, and she caressed his chest gently, lowering her eyes.

"I became a soldier. Finally, I could wear that treasured Saiyan armor and have my own title. But it wasn't The Saiyan Army. It was the Frieza Force." He closed his eyes and she felt a small quiver go through him when speaking that name.

"Our mission is a familiar one, I assume you have learned. To expand our Lord's empire. To conquer, claim all the galaxy. That is his dream, not mine.

The Saiyan way of life was always to conquer, to take, but we were once only barbaric thieves. Whether it be the technology of the Tuffles or the entire planet. We did what we had to to survive; we learned how to adapt and use what we could to our advantage. But Frieza's way was different. I wanted to fight, to grapple with worthy opponents, not slaughter the innocents.

Nappa, Prince Vegeta and I banded together as Saiyans; we fought together, did our missions together. Nappa showed us the ways of our people, he taught me everything I know. He is an honorable man..." He looked at her with a bitter smile.

"...But Vegeta was a rebellious child. He spoke out against Freiza, and when he was flogged, we were all flogged. We shared the suffering of our Prince." Raditz spat in disgust.

"Raditz..." Launch said softly, gently touching his cheek. She felt terrible for her words; she wanted to retract them.

"No. Don't forgive me." He jerked his cheek from her hand. "I haven't told the entire story yet." He said grimly, staring out the window.

He sat across from his friend Chiaotzu; whom he had known longer than any of the people he had grown to know these last few years.

"Aren't we going to Kame House today, Tien?" Chiaotzu asked over a steaming cup of green tea. Tien folded his hands over and shook his head.

"Why don't we just stay here today Chiaotzu. We can train right here, can't we? This is, after all, our home." He said, trying to encourage him with a smile. Chiaotzu blinked blankly, his large eyes not giving away what emotion was going through his head.

"I suppose, we could focus on our training more, without…her." He paused, frowning.

"It's ok, Chiaotzu. I know. I've spent too much time entertaining the idea that I could ever fit a relationship into my life, but the fact of the matter is I'm just not ready. I'm not sure that I'll ever be." He said, frowning.

He took a sip of his tea, feeling waves of regret washing over him, over all the things he had said to Launch in his fog of lust. Chiaotzu looked down at the table sadly; it was so quiet here without anyone else to talk to, he had to admit he'd grown fond of everyone.

"We have to train to become stronger to defeat the Saiyans, with or without the others. I don't blame you if you're afraid to fight Raditz. I don't ask that you come along. This is my own battle."

Whether or not he was with Launch, he would not allow her life to be endangered.

"I'll help you Tien, no matter what!" Chiaotzu said brightly.

"Thanks, Chiaotzu. You're really the best friend a guy could ever have." Tien said, standing to go outdoors and train, while remembering with a sense of lingering dread that if Chiaotzu didn't survive, the guilt would be on his shoulders.

The beachside of East City still held a faint sanguine hue as four fit figures dressed in red kung-fu gi's with black obi's tied around their waists raked through the sand for remaining debris. The wreckage from the battle had been done away with; they would use the remaining scraps of submarines to make themselves a new boat, or perhaps reinforce the siding on the low, camouflaged abode concealed by overhanging willows nestled in the cliffside.

The victims of the battle had been buried, and rites had been said over the mass grave at the far end of the beach.

"Do you expect that others will come looking for him?" A male with shaggy blonde hair and a red bandana around his forehead said in a slow, thoughtful voice. His hazel eyes appeared sleepy, lined with stress even though he was only in his twenties. A woman turned, leaning on her rake, and looked up to the sky.

"I suspect that there will be many. Their race is all but extinct, but this man had two followers. By now, they are well past breeding age." Her voice was raspy and hardened, with a seemingly permanent scowl on her face that may have been lovely if only she were to smile. Her wild blonde hair was in a shag cut, partially concealed by a similar red bandana. A small amount of hair was braided and hung down her back.

"Kannon, will you recognize them?" He asked, a sneer forming as he curled his upper lip at the thought of the disgusting primates.

Kannon snarled, touching the hanging tassel of the strange cylindrical weapon strapped to her back, and spat on the ground. "Reign, any Saiyan filth that steps foot on these sacred grounds is dead, ya hear?" The blonde man nodded. The other male stopped his raking and laid the rake down; in removing his bandana and squeezing perspiration from it, his third eye was visible.

"Put your wrapping back on, Grenada." Kannon spat, swatting him on the shoulder, where his gi was blackened as if the sleeves had been burnt away. "We can't have humans see your third eye, fool." He tied it back around his spiky orange hair, chuckling giddily. His bright green eyes were illuminated with phosphorus, the irises moving in an unstable manner as he wrapped one arm around her waist, earning a stubborn push against his chest.

"Come on Kannon! The Tide is coming! hmhm. It will soon be mm-mating time, don't you miss making the call?" He said lustfully in her ear, in between his vocal tic that made him clear his throat. He stroked one hand on her toned hip, earning him a slap across the face. Grenada jumped back, cringing then attempting to focus his eyes on her, as if he were agitated by her incessant resistance to his advances

"Don't you dare touch me, freak!" Kannon pulled out the automatic she kept tucked in the back of her obi and pointed to his chest. "I don't need a mate, and as far as you're concerned, I ain't a female and I won't act like one! I don't care about the freakin tide!" She said, and let off a round of bullets into his direction.

Grenada grinned and caught them swiftly with his protective fingerless gloves that kept him unharmed, although his fingers were black from a long life of pyromania. He dropped them to the ground and chuckled goofily, looking at his hands and moving his fingers as if fascinated by the steaming hot leather.

Another girl came forward, and with her dainty hand to her face in surprise, she tilted her head of vibrant fuschia locks and blinked with her large, doey amber eyes.

"Why do you refuse to mate Kannon? Soon you will be infertile! I have mated each year and had six children with Grenada and Reign. It is the Gemini's duty to repopulate!" She said, blinking naïvely, her lilting voice not giving off any air of malcontent.

Reign wrapped his arm around her then squeezed one of her bountiful assets and kissed her cheek. "Propel is such an obedient breeder, aren't you? This time you'll bear my child." He cooed, nibbling her ear and causing her to titter mindlessly.

"That's disgusting'." Kannon scoffed, shaking her head and sticking out her tongue.

"Enough." A voice came from behind, and the red daubed people stopped and turned to bow.

"Apologies Lord Vulcane, we were simply discussing our excitement for the upcoming Solstice!" Propel said excitedly from behind her iridescent pink-violet locks. With the Solstice came the rising of the tides, a time when the Gemini people would be at their strongest.

"Come along, Propel. Prepare our prisoners a hearty gruel, they are becoming malnourished."

Propel stood up straight and nodded eagerly, running to her master's side as the others followed dutifully behind. Kannon darted her eyes back and forth at her companions who walked with their heads down in obedience.

"Might I be of assistance, My Lord?" She asked, her raspy voice shaking at the words. Lord Vulcane paused a moment, and turned to sneer at her from behind his stringy, black hair.

"You cannot cook, Kannon. You will not be mated. How shall you assist us?" He said, his dry breath hissing from his withered lips. Kannon lowered her head, gulping.

"I shall feed the weakened primates, My Lord, and make sure that they do not speak amongst themselves." She said smartly, licking her lips quickly. Vulcane eyed her carefully, then wrenched her head to the side and whispered in her ear with his rancid breath.

"No. You shall be my most obedient mate, Kannon. This Solstice, you will scream the name of your lord, or be caged with the rest of them!" He spat, spittle beading her cheek as she cried out.

"Yes My Lord! I will obey." She said, her lip quivering as he released her roughly. Propel gave her an encouraging smile and silent applause, congratulating her for the great honor of bearing the Gemini Cult leader's child. Kannon lowered her head and masked the sobs that threatened to tear through her body.

"Now about.. your people," Raditz said. He wouldn't allow her to forgive him just yet. She had to know how he came to discover the truth about the Geminis. Launch's eyes widened at his words, her hand retracting from his cheek and balling up to her chest. Raditz sighed and began his terrible tale.

"We arrived on The Red Planet, Mars. It was barren as far as we could tell; we scoured its dry desert plains for days until discovering a network of underground caves that housed a large society of people. The men all had a third eye, whereas the women were relatively humanoid, save the ability to transform and become more aggressive. The Tri-Eyes could use ki and their demon eyes to bewitch. …They fought well; the battle was long, but we won out in the end.

We moved onto the daunting task of surveying the harsh environment of Planet Neptune, as ordered. Mars was bad; it was impossibly cold, and to be a child in such a place was frightening. But Neptune was worse. It was practically inhospitable, but somehow… life had managed to thrive there- in what I, as a child, could only comprehend as a living Hell. We begged to leave many times, but the fear of failing a mission under Frieza's watch was much worse.

We survived navigating the deadly atmospheric storms and poison gas, escaping the unstable molten lava surface by falling into a deep chasm many miles below the surface into a hidden ocean. There we found more of the Gemini people, but these people were far less aggressive than those on Mars. The females had the ability to sing and deafen us for a short time, and the males used their trickery to mislead us, and we became lost deep in their labyrinthian world.

We were allowed a period of rest when a female Gemini housed us for a short time, but once Frieza found that we had taken rest, he sent his first set of hounds to sniff us out, The Dyjod Trio. Nappa attempted to fight with the Trio and was sorely beaten. Later, his highest ranking officers arrived, and with their strict supervision we did as we were told and we cleared the planet's oceans just as we did the surface.

There was nothing left, as far as I knew. When we returned to Frieza's ship, we were forced to watch as Nappa was flayed alive... he was punished for desertion, for having an illicit affair with the enemy. His skin did grow back, slowly...but afterward, he was hairless but for the hair on his face. The punishment was too severe! No man should have to suffer that horror!" Raditz spat with his eyes tightly shut at the traumatic, bloody images in his mind.

Launch shuddered, her hand over her mouth. "What did you do..?" She asked, her eyes wide, brimming with tears of empathy.

"Nothing. We moved on. That was life. We had to become heartless to survive, it wasn't that difficult to do. It became routine; we would go on a mission, return, then Frieza had a new punishment in store for us. The insanity began to take hold of us all; we were starved, beaten, molested for their amusement, forced to fight one another practically to the death... Then, we had to sleep in a dark room full of rotting bodies.

After a while, you learned the only way to get rid of the foul smell was to eat it. It made us sick, but the smell of your own vomit was better than the scent of rotted flesh. It was that, or I would drink fermented malt and pass out in the mangled innards of a female I'd taken from a dead planet as my reward... For the longest time we were lost to the primal urges of our blood; we survived on that alone.

We tried to hang onto our Saiyan pride. For many long years we lived this way, until we got a mission that was of some challenge. We were sent to Planet Lystraya. The people there were like us. They had tails, but they weren't Saiyans. They were... like wolves.

We came when their moon was at its apex, and like us, they also transformed by the light of the moon. Yet, unlike our home planet where the moon only appeared once every 100 years, their moon never left its apex. Every night we fought, for 4 long years, the three of us against them, in their giant form as well, taking to the cover of rubble during the day to rest and becoming beasts at night, until finally...

Their entire race was extinct. It honed our Ōozaru forms until we were even able to speak and communicate with one another. When we came back to the base, we were rewarded with a grand feast and drinks for all, fighting, whoring – whatever a man could desire, as long as he survived.

In the morning I was sent to Planet Earth alone; my sole mission was to find my younger brother Kakarot and bring him back alive. I fully intended to make him a heartless warrior like myself, and to prove himself I asked him to slay 100 Earthlings... But he found another way... He fought well and sacrificed himself for his people." Raditz said with a firm nod, and Launch smiled warmly, the tears she had cried throughout his tale wetting her cheeks.

"Raditz...You are an honorable man. You have much to be proud of."

He wrenched his face towards her, grimacing. "How? How are any of the unsavory things I've endured worth honor?" He growled.

"...Because, through all that, you didn't lose your Saiyan pride. You didn't lose your heart. I know, because you have shown me. You have comforted me, when all along it was you who was hurting. How it must have hurt to lose all your people; your family ... To watch the General and your Prince suffer, and take that punishment as well... To lose your mind, but retain your spirit. To live on. I would imagine anyone else would have wanted to die." She said softly and stroked his chest, leaning down and placing her head there.

"Do you hate me for it?" He said, swallowing. His eyebrows were tensed nervously above his eyes that gazed down at her uneasily.

Launch sighed, tracing circles on his chest. "Hate you...? You did what you were ordered to do. If it had been an option, I don't believe that you would have slain my people. As you say, there is no challenge in the slaughter of innocents. I don't know that I would have been born if not for your interference... I would have never had the chance to meet you...

"Perhaps having gone through those horrors... is enough punishment for what you have done. Perhaps just experiencing that horror, and reliving those terrifying scenes, night after night is enough." She said, looking up at him and smiling softly, tears beading the corners of her dark lashes as she laughed softly, as if choking back the cry that threatened to escape her sweet lips.

Raditz stared down at her, his eyes hollow graves once filled with light now darkened by the telling of his innermost horrors.

"No.. you mustn't say such things..! I am hateful..." He cried out, squeezing his eyes shut, he flinched back from her touch; from the affection he was so unfamiliar with. I don't deserve this! I am not worthy...I could never be worthy of such a strong female... I am a coward, a low-level scum...

" ..I don't hate you." She said firmly. He pulled back, turning his face away, his throat bobbing with his unreleased sobs. Raditz placed his hands on the small woman's shoulders as if to push her away, a small tear crawling down his cheek.

"Raditz... please...Raditz!" Launch cried out his name in passion, digging her nails into his skin with the desire for him to return to her, pulling him closer.

Her voice brought him out of his inner anguish, he turned abruptly and she gazed into his eyes, those obsidian pools brimming with tears. Her heart felt wrenched for him, but it also felt full, brimming with the growing feelings blossoming there. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed up his throat to his cheek. He attempted to shake her off, feeling he was undeserving of her affections.

Launch pulled his face to hers by the hair on the nape of his neck and pressed her small lips to his fervently. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she parted her lips, licking his lower lip. Launch allowed him to grip her by her shoulders and fill her mouth with his hot, swirling tongue, wrapping his arms around her fully and squeezing her carefully to his body as if she were the most precious thing he had ever held. Raditz's loving touch made her shiver with delight, her tears forgotten. With her kiss she told him she accepted him; all his pain would no longer be his alone to bear.

She stood at the edge of the forest, her Dragon Ball safely tucked away in her belongings. Chi-Chi looked down at the Dragon Radar, following the small yellow dot flashing on the green screen. There was a small village in the Sacred Land of Korin surrounding a tall white tower, with an elliptical structure at the top.

She walked carefully down the dirt pathway, waving kindly to the strangers sitting before triangular huts, cooking their first meal of the day over a stone fire pit. Chi-Chi made her way to the base of the tower and looked up at the many carved faces there, the engraved white marble stone. So, this is Korin's Tower... She thought, and began rolling up her sleeves.

"Do you plan to climb all the way up? I have to warn you, lady, it's a long way." A small voice came from behind, and Chi-Chi turned quickly to see a fit, young native with round, black eyes looking her up and down as if attempting to assume her strength.

"I do. Why is it any of your business?" She asked warily.

"My name is Upa. I live here and I see many people try to climb the tower, but not usually a lady." He blinked innocently, his button eyes almost too cute to stay mad at.

"Well, who says I can't climb it?! I'm the wife of Son Goku, and if I can go toe to toe with him, I can climb a dumb tower!" She growled, pulling out her frying pan and waving it threateningly.

Upa backed away, waving his hands in submission. "Are you truly the wife of Son Goku?" He asked happily. His little eyes sparked in a way that spoke of deep admiration.

Chi-Chi crossed her arms and frowned a little, "Well, it's sort of a long story but yes... I need to get up there to retrieve the dragon ball to save my little boy." She said, hopeful that he knew of some way to assist her.

He called over a large man, who towered over Chi-Chi and wore many stripes on his cheeks, feathers in his hair and had a tomahawk strapped to his deerskin pants.

"Hello, sir, do you have any idea how I'm to scale this tower?" She asked politely, smiling sweetly.

"Father, this is the wife of Son Goku." Upa whispered, and the man's eyes widened, his stern face warming to a smile.

"I see, what a surprise! Goku reunited me with my son, you see he wished me back to life with the Dragon Balls many years ago. My name is Bora." He said warmly, putting his arm around his son. Chi-Chi nodded knowingly.

"Nice to meet you both, my name is Chi-Chi. I'm sorry to rush things but I really need to get that ball! My son Gohan is off training to fight these terribly strong men like Goku, and there's a g-good chance my boy won't make it! I'm just so frightened about what could happen to him!" She said, the words flying out of her in a panic, as she pulled on Bora's long braids, yanking them as if that could convince him, and startled him.

He placed his large hands on her shoulders and calmed her nervous fidgeting. "Alright. We won't stop you. If you truly wish to climb Korin's tower, all I can say to you is, do not look down. Just keep climbing up, don't stop and you're sure to get there." He nodded, pulling a bundle from his belt. "Here. This is enriched bread with fruit. It will keep you full." He said, and handed her the pack as well as a canteen of water. Chi-Chi took them gratefully and thanked them, placing the canteen on her belt and the bread in the loose fold of her cheongsam for easy access. Chi-Chi looked up at the high tower and began to climb, not looking back.

Goku continued his long journey down Snake Way, now running down the path energetically, determined yet always smiling. He knew it was a long way, but he wouldn't stop, not once, for the sake of his friends, his family and the fate of the entire world.

"Man, this is taking a lot longer than I thought! Sure is a good workout, though!" He said optimistically as his figure faded into the clouds.

The dark, hot, steamy caffeine was all Bulma had on her mind this morning as she sat at the kitchen table with her mug cupped in her hands. Her eyes were still barely open as Vegeta leaped down the stairs and paced around the kitchen like a mad cougar, grumbling to himself, his tail lashing. He picked up the coffee pot and sniffed it, narrowing his eyes.

"Is this some kind of nutrient serum...? Woman!"

"Yes. Just freaking drink it!" She grumbled as she refilled her cup and fixed his as well.

"How do you like it?" She mumbled, forgetting he wasn't a native to earth.

"I don't care, strong!" He spat, his stomach growling. He looked at Bulma in her ratty pink housecoat with bunny slippers and scoffed. It must have been a trick of the light last night. She looked terrible now, with her normally smooth locks all frizzed and sticking up at her crown. Good, I don't need her distractions. He thought to himself, looking away.

"Here. Now drink." She said, thrusting the cup into his hand, she shuffled back to her chair, setting her head heavily in her hands and sighing as she took another grateful sip. Her parents weren't even awake yet, Bulma had barely slept, having cried herself to sleep last night after watching a slew of cheesy romance movies and eating sinful amounts of ice cream, still recovering from her discovery about Yamcha yesterday.

Vegeta sat down across from her, his flame of raven hair perfectly shaped, not a wrinkle under his eyes, nor any sign of weariness whatsoever on his glowing caramel skin. He sniffed the coffee and gave it a hesitant sip. Bulma had just given it to him black, not caring whether it was to his liking or not. He allowed the hot drink to flow down his throat, tasting each note of the flavor and licked his lips. He gulped more down eagerly.

"This is good, what is it?" He said, tilting the cup upside down to catch the last few drops on his tongue. Bulma barely paid him any mind.

"Coffee." She said, sinking her head down to the table and resting it on her arm. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, then quickly lost interest as he stood and started pacing again.

"Is my armor clean? Where is it? I'll need it today." He said quickly, the caffeine already having an effect.

"Yes! Kami, you're like a rabbit on speed, just give me a freaking minute here." She frowned, then shrugged off her robe and revealed her two-piece lavender silk camisole and pajama shorts that bared her navel, leaving Vegeta stunned, his mouth dropped open as her plushy rear peeked out from the shorts.

A sudden hard-on gave him reason to stand behind the island countertop and pour himself more coffee with a shaky hand. How vulgar! He gulped, chugging down the coffee. Bulma heaved his armor in the door, growling at the weight of it, her rear up in the air as she dragged it inside. Indecent woman! He squeezed his eyes shut and clutched the coffee cup. I'm immune...immune to her succubus bewitchery!

"Well, here it is your Majesty, don't you want to just jump right in!?" She said incredulously, her hands on her curvy hips. Vegeta's eyes darted conspicuously as he thought of a good excuse.

"No, I.. I demand food, servant woman!" He said, slamming down his coffee cup.

"'Servant woman'? Excuse me?!" She screamed, throwing her fists to her sides and fuming with the unbelievable gall of this man.

"No, you may not be excused! What kind of blasted castle is this? No servants? No guards?! I'm starting to think you aren't a princess at all!" He roared back, squeezing his coffee cup so hard it shattered.

Bulma flinched back from the flying pieces and huffed at him, "Well you know what, this 'princess' doesn't cook breakfast for asshole princes, so you can make your own goddamn breakfast!"

She stormed into the kitchen and began pulling out pots and pans, taking the eggs and bacon out of the fridge, then slamming them on the counter in front of him.

"In this house, you don't get everything handed to you, our world isn't like that, so either get used to it or get out!" She snarled in his face, and Vegeta growled right back at her, their noses almost touching.

"Well, it seems you just made a mockery of yourself because now I've got everything I need!" He said and grabbed her by the hips and threw her onto the counter, knocking the pots and pans away carelessly. He began attempting to wrench her flailing legs apart as she squealed and backed away on her rear, panting with heated fright at the man with a determined glare in his eyes. Vegeta chuckled maliciously as he dragged her back by her thighs, her skin squeaking across the marble countertop.

"No! Stop it, Vegeta!" She wailed, her chest heaving.

"I'll show you what you get for being so indecent, servant woman! Lie down and comply!" He snarled, grabbing one kicking foot and slinging it over his shoulder.

"Goodness me! Should I come back later, dears?" Bunny asked, her hands to her flushing cheeks.

Both startled before Bulma chuckled and turned to Vegeta, smirking. "No, Vegeta was just about to cook breakfast for us all, weren't you?" She seethed through her teeth, grinding the heel of her foot in his clavicle.

He brushed her away unaffected then looked down at the items in front of him with a faint expression of bafflement. Bulma huffed, hopping off the counter and shuddering, then wrapped her robe back around herself tightly and sat down. She mouthed dirty pervert! to him and he responded by baring his teeth.

"Nonsense! I won't have our royal guest cooking in my kitchen! Let me see those, honey." Vegeta backed away, grinning smugly and allowed Bunny to start breakfast, getting out of her way quickly before she asked him for assistance.

"I don't appreciate that kind of naughty behavior on my countertop. I prepare food here, ya know! Although, if I was your age maybe I'd get up there too! " Bunny said, giggling as she sprayed it with sanitizer.

"Mom, eww!" Bulma groaned, turning to Vegeta and blowing him a raspberry across the table while he was glaring at her as if he could murder her with just his eyes.

Launch couldn't feel any more light on her feet as she did right now. She was practically on cloud nine as she stripped the bed clean of its bloody sheets and piled them into a trash bag, fluffing out the fresh, clean linens and laying them down. Raditz took a well-deserved soak in the tub - it was a bit cramped but he made do, sitting there in the masses of pink foamy bubbles, his legs folded before him as waited impatiently.

"How many minutes has it been now?" He asked, irritated. Launch looked at the watch on her wrist and giggled.

"Time's up! You can rinse now." She snickered, tucking in the bedspread as she heard the shower switch on. She'd introduced him to a little thing called shampoo and conditioner, and he didn't like it one bit; he hated the scent and didn't like the idea of smelling like flowers. It was either that or she'd threatened to use scissors on his spiky locks, and he'd refused vehemently against that. Raditz allowed the warmth of the shower to run down his body, feeling relief in his aching muscles that had not atrophied in the slightest during his bedridden days.

He was eager to get moving; his arm and leg wounds had healed nicely. The chest wound would take longer now that it had reopened, but as long as he didn't overly stress himself he could now move around without intense pain. Raditz turned off the water and shook his hair dry, causing a spray of water droplets to hit the shower curtain.

He stepped out grinning like a Cheshire cat; he was feeling so fully sated by another delectable breakfast and more of that delightful 'french kissing' that Launch had shared with him. He'd never felt the need to touch lips with a female before her, but he found he liked it a lot.

He'd only put his tongue in her mouth from a strange urge to taste her, he never expected her to do the same. Raditz vaguely knew of kissing as some strange custom he never really cared to entertain. He wasn't trying to romance the females he took before, only use them as a means to sate his own desire; he'd never realized something so unrelated to penetrative sex could feel so pleasurable.

He pulled on his black shorts sewn skillfully by Launch then strolled into the bedroom and leaned against the doorframe with a devilish grin. Raditz watched her bend over in her dark green shorts that displayed the creamy soft flesh of her backside to sweep up a scrap of bread crust that had gone flying in his fervent devouring of another delightful thing called 'french toast'.

It seemed so far, anything with the word 'french' before it was something he liked...

Raditz licked his teeth; his mouth felt strange from the other thing she'd shown him called a 'toothbrush.' Launch was amazed at his body's ability to prevent cavities; his teeth were perfectly white and strong despite having only ever cleaned his teeth with things like bamboo sticks or fibrous food. Besides, he didn't mind the minty, slightly burning thing called 'mouthwash' if it meant he could kiss her more. She noticed his presence and quickly attended to him as he stood patiently, allowing her to bundle up his chest wound.

Launch smiled, patting his chest softly. She was happy that the wound had finally filled in with pink flesh; it wasn't completely healed, but it was a good sign. Raditz watched as she fiddled with the bandage, entertaining himself by playing with the stretchy suspender on her red tube top.

"Are we done?" He asked with a deep sound like a whine, exhaling sharply from his nose.

"Not yet. You need to wear clothes. I think I've found something in your size!" She said sweetly, holding up a red shirt and faded blue jeans. She found them forgotten in an old trunk from long, long ago, when the young Ox King must have stayed a few nights over. Raditz creased his brow and looked them up and down suspiciously.

"Why do I need those? I am dressed." He said, looking down at his very short, tight, form-fitting black shorts. He was startled to hear a low growl emit from her throat and looked at her with surprise, his eyes widened.

"You cannot go outside wearing nothing but your underwear, Raditz!" She huffed, stomping one red high top sneaker. A wry grin curled up on his cheek.

"I see," He said, leaning down to nudge her small nose with his. "You don't want other females to be interested in your suitor, is that it?" Launch's cheeks flushed dark pink, and she nodded. Raditz tilted up her chin and rewarded her with a firm kiss. Pulling back, he took the clothing.

"Then I certainly will wear them. I don't want them looking either." This earned him a pleased giggle from her and he pulled the clothes on, finding the shirt was a bit tight, the pants a bit short but not uncomfortable. His tail tore a hole in the back of the jeans as it wriggled with anticipation.

"Let's go, I want to stretch my legs." He bent down and picked up his armor, ripping the knees out of the pants as he did. He looked at the armor with some disappointment at the wretched state it was in. He frowned, discarding the broken breastplate and only putting on his boots and bracers.

"You don't need all that, you aren't fighting today..." Launch said as she picked up his heavy breastplate with ease and looked with concern at all the cracks and blood splatter. Raditz shrugged, and not caring whether or not he wore the armor anymore, he took it and crumbled it to bits in his hands, sprinkling the dust into the garbage. Launch gasped at the sheer show of power.

"Why did you do that?" She felt bad, she didn't mean he could never wear it again.

"I'll find new armor. Come along, let's go." Launch tilted her head and followed behind him, surprised when he hefted her onto his back and went down the stairs in three steps.

They came out to the kitchen and met the surprised faces of Krillin and Master Roshi sitting at the table. Raditz only snorted and walked away, lowering Launch a moment to put on her knee pads and fingerless gloves. Normally, she would wear something nice like a frilly dress, but her other half's clothes proved to be more suitable for where they were going.

"Sorry to leave like this Master Roshi, but Raditz needs his exercise. You'll find lunch in the fridge, and your supply of bathroom tissues and lingerie magazines has been restocked, they should last you a few days."

Roshi's cheeks flared with embarrassment as Krillin grinned at him knowingly. Launch smiled naïvely and allowed Raditz to heft her back onto his back, nuzzling her face into his coarse mane that was now clean but still held his pleasingly masculine scent.

"O-okay dear, have fun and be careful! As for you, Mr. Raditz, I expect you understand the rules of this household. I'd like Miss Launch back for dinner and unharmed." He said sternly and Raditz snorted at this then gave a nod and they went out the door.

Bulma turned off the curling iron, spraying her bangs up to one side in an 80's do with hairspray. She wore a white Capsule Corps T-shirt and a form-fitting pair of red jeans. Bulma admired herself in the mirror and grinned.

I won't just lie moping about the house anymore. I have business to attend to, and I finally have my little alien dictionary here to help! And he WILL behave after his little stunt this morning... She thought deviously, sauntering down the hallway to Vegeta's guest room.

"Come out, come out your highness, we have work to do!~" She sang teasingly, hearing his grunt from indoors.

He yanked the door open and scowled at her strange change of hairstyle.

"Do you like it?" She said, fluffing her curls.

"You look like you've been blasted out the rectum of a tarrawyrm. Now move." He grunted, wearing only his blue under armor that was rife with holes.

He moved to leave and Bulma stepped in his way, then the other way and giggled, putting her hands on his shoulders to stop him. He exhaled harshly as Bulma looked him up and down, not failing to notice that the tight suit left little to the imagination.

"Well, you look like you've been through a blender. Why don't you have my mom sew it up for you?"

He lowered his brows and frowned. "There's no way I would let that foolish old woman alter my clothing. This is advanced Saiyan technology, something you inferior Earthlings couldn't replicate. It stretches to fit any size." He said smugly, raising one eyebrow. Bulma rolled her eyes, putting her hand out.

"Take it off. I'll prove to you that we can replicate it." Bulma demanded with a stern expression. He balked a moment, then slammed the door in her face.

"Fine woman, but I expect multiple sets of armor, and quickly. You'd better have decent clothing for me as well!" He growled from behind the door then threw the blue ball of clothes out.

Bulma caught it deftly then strolled down to a large lab in the basement, humming happily. She tossed the suit in her little device called an Atom Analyzer, which would break the suit down to atomic structure, analyze its data and push copies out like a printer.

Bulma set the machine to 10; she would do the rest of his armor later. Not only did the machine analyze the material, it also was able to pick up on the cells from Vegeta. She typed in the keyboard and located the data on him, showing a detailed 3D model of his body from the last molded state of the armor.

It would give her a full analysis of all the data later; for now, all she needed were his sizes. She took down his measurements on a piece of paper and walked over to a device that was more or less for her own luxury, a Clothing Replicator. All she needed to do was type in the measurements then select a style and fabric and it was basically her own shopping mall.

"Now, let's see... What would that snobby prince like to wear?" She mused, wishing that she could pick out something funny like a pink shirt and yellow pants but thinking better thanks to her own desire to keep living. Instead, she settled on plain black athletic shorts, black briefs, white socks, running sneakers and multiple white t-shirts and tank tops so that if he was injured she would know.

Bulma frowned at her odd thought as the machine began spitting out clothing, picking them up and folding them over her arm. Like I care if he gets himself hurt, it's his own damn fault! She scoffed, then came upstairs and knocked on his door. She heard his grumbling voice inside and giggled as he inched the door open and only showed his face, his naked body hidden behind the door.

"Throw the clothes in, immediately!" He demanded, a faint hue of pink on his cheeks. Bulma put her finger to her chin and mused, tilting her head.

"Hmm, is that any way to ask a favor from a princess such as myself?" She said, batting her eyelashes.

He sputtered, then laughed coldly.

"I don't have to ASK any favors from you, woman. You should do them gladly in return for not being slaughtered!" He snarled back, and Bulma balked, hiding the bundle of clothes behind her back.

"Well, that's not very nice. I guess I'd better take these back to the shredder..." She teased, turning away.

"Give me the damned garments!" He fumed, fully aware of his exposed state and unwilling to step out from behind the door.

"What do you say..?" Bulma said, grinning deviously.

He growled, narrowing his eyes even further until they were just black and white slits under his dark eyebrows. "...please."

"And..?" She enunciated, raising her blue brows. His eyes darted away, narrowing until squeezed angrily shut.

"Thank you! Godsdamnit!" He shouted, his hand squeezing the door making hairline cracks all throughout the wood.

"That's better! Now get dressed and put on a happy face! We have a fun day ahead of us!" She said chipperly and handed him the clothes, turning and bounding down the hallway.

Vegeta glared at the crazy blue-haired woman with an expression of complete disbelief; how this woman could go from being frightened and bursting out in tears before him one moment, then angry and ready to fight him the next was completely beyond his understanding. She's either totally insane, or so feeble-minded that she's under the impression I'm no longer to be feared... Either way, I think that deems she be watched very closely... He thought then closed the door.