Chapter 22: Torn

A/N: Yes another HoB update, I did finally get this done. Side note, there is a poll up on my main page for those of you who enjoyed the Gochi week prompts. Perhaps the favorite(s) may get their own little spin off series. Adaption was one of them, granted it wasn't exactly how I imagined it ending. But hey it still got its own story. And yes, It's time to really, really, get into the fun stuff of this story.

"Heh, they are marvelous." The prideful tone of an expectant parent gave his mate an assured embrace as his tail intertwined with hers from behind.

"I can't believe it, finally after all of these years we can have a new saiyan elite born into this house. I can't wait to show just how strong our newest child will be!" Gine exclaimed gripping her mate's hands as they held overtop of her shoulders just above her chest. His chin resting on top of her head as he stared into gestating vita womb chamber that resided with their growing offspring.

While purist among saiyans may attribute the use of un-natural means would weaken saiyan females. But if anything, the recent generations had shown no effects of dangerous mutations or changes that would affect the development of the saiyan race. It was proof that even the crown prince had been given the same treatment as a show of solidarity between the classes. If anything it made the mother's stronger as they were not forced to take time to rest and prepare for bringing a saiyan child into the world and could remain active in their positions longer.

It had been several months since Gine had announced to her mate that they would be expecting a third child. Her newest legacy and future of her own lineage was now growing before her eyes. "Have we given any thoughts for a name." She asked openly her tail swaying with Bardock's as they remained together watching their unborn grow.

"Hmm, I have not. Though we should plan for possibly a female, I can't get lucky three times." Bardock chuckled earning a nip from his mate's teeth on his hand.

"Lucky? We need another female. Vegeta-sei knows we have enough males, an extra girl would solve the problems. Since we all know that poor Kale won't be really sought after by any of our children, with Kaulifa being the only option…"

But of course both parents knew of the wild saiyan female, who was a possible mate for the crown prince. As one of the strongest and most profound females, if not a few years before her time to officially mate this left little hope of elites finding equivalent partners among elites.

Sighing, Bardock nuzzled her ear and just thought about it. "Well if we have a female it shall be Ginoa," He smirked as she purred approvingly in his arms.

"I don't mind," She licked at her previous bite mark before thinking of a name that would suit a boy. "How about Rom-ku? If we have a boy."

"Rom-ku?" He questioned and she nodded beneath his head. "Where did you come with that name?"

"One of those books, our caretaker Chi-Chi has been sharing with me her reading material from the last time I traveled to the Villa."

"I see…" Bardock hummed, " Speaking of said Villa, how are those two managing?"

Gine laughed, "Chi-Chi keeps our son in line more than Kakarot does her, she has kept the place to her usual standards around the home. Arranging for things here and there, she also has been given a few little toys from her friends at capsule Corp that you will find interesting."

"Oh? And what kind of toys are these?" The idea of what the woman could finagle out of such a prominent piece of Vegeta-sei's new science adoption always intrigued him. The gravity chamber was an exemplary piece of creativity a blessing with the progress he himself and his eldest son had gained.

"Oh she's currently working with some type of fighting suit… Apparently it was quite the hit when it was displayed to the royal family. But they need practical data and well… let's just say our son and caretaker have been having quite the few sparring matches."

Chi-Chi leapt forwards, her hand covered in ceramite armor, as her artificial muscles squeezed and pressed her joints together to maximize every single movement and then amplify it ten fold. The hardened metal a lesser rival to saiyan skin with years of powerful evolution, but Chi-Chi didn't hold back. She was still rightly pissed at Kakarot, and he was annoyed with her.

But this helped vent the obvious frustrations they shared in the house. The suit was not hindering her abilities in the artificial gravity chamber that was outside, the suit enhanced her abilities. Allowing her be a match for him while restricted by gravity.

Punching into his guard, Chi-Chi's long ponytail hair was the only thing weighing her down as her heels caught her unbalanced form and let her go on the aggression. Driving her armored palms into his forearms repeatedly, leaving welts with each and every blow.

"Always so hostile." Kakarot chuckled making light of the enraged woman in front of him. She was hitting him and not holding anything back. Their situation, if one would call it that, hadn't been doing exactly well. Kakarot wasn't trying to make Chi-Chi upset about what was going on, but, she wasn't making his life any easier as a result.

"Fuck," She swore beating harder into his fists, the sweat was pouring off her exposed face, but the rest of her body didn't feel the after effects of her straining body. "YOU!" bringing both hands down into a double axe handle bashing down his wrists before she struck him across the face. "Treat. Me. Like. A. Game!" Shouting with every single blow that followed to his unprotected cheeks.

Hoping upwards she caught him in the neck with another blow, making the saiyan stagger. Whipping her other leg back around she blasted him in the face making him spin around.

Snorting, Kakarot turned back around, his hand moving to wipe the freshly spilt blood from his lip. His black eyes seizing up Chi-Chi who moved back into her fighting stance. The obviously human one, he'd caught sight of the fools training nearby Capsule Town. She obviously had some form of inspiration from them.

Looking down at his blood Kakarot then brought out his tongue and licked up the rest of his injury. "None of this has been a game to me, and yet you believe that somehow I'm treating this like one. I could've done other things about this, but I haven't. I let this decision fall to you, and somehow you blame me for this."

She had ignored his part to all of this and simply carried on, not that there was some miracle that would turn their current predicament around. His half saiyan child was slowly developing back at home, the idea that it would somehow just all work out was lunacy. Chi-Chi didn't want to send it offworld, refused to let it be proven in battle and recovered. Pushing the idea that he could just up and abandon everything for her.

That would dishonor his parents and cast him out of saiyan society. He couldn't do that, hell he doubt he'd be allowed to live with such actions if he went along knowingly. Chi-Chi aroused him like no other, spirited, passionate, and showed no fear. No placating his desires, or trying to act like so many of the other subservient races or humans he'd seen.

Why in the name of the gods was this woman not born a saiyan, she's fucking perfect!

But that couldn't be changed, Kakarot then threw himself back at Chi-Chi taking the time to be on the offense, but with that damn suit and this gravity weighing him down he was struggling to make that a painful reality.

Faster, and stronger, using that tight form to bend and twist into angles, her body also would hardly lose balance. The computer running the machine was linked somehow with her movements and was able to keep her from going to far and falling on her face indirectly. If he caught her or hit her, she wouldn't remain on her feet.

Driving his elbow into her shoulder, Chi-Chi braced herself. Digging in her heels as she grunted at the collision. The two grinding to a halt halfway across the chamber, "I've given you my options, I can't make this decision for you. Since you want to be so damn stubborn."

Their pressing arms began to shake as the other refused to stop shoving back into each other. Her brown eyes burning a hole into Kakarot's glare, "Stubborn? If that's coming from you. You won't change, your kami fucking mind because you won't accept the responsibility for what you did!"

Responsibility? For what? Being's mated all the time, to act as if this was his fault? Not a chance, "I didn't ask for the glory of impregnating you. If anything you should consider it an honor."

Chi-Chi shrieked at his arrogance, sliding her arm to the side causing Kakarot's pressure and momentum to drive him forwards. Dropping down into a crouch Chi-Chi slammed her bicep into Kakarot's stomach and threw him backwards, he skipped along the ground several times until Chi-Chi landed on his chest. "Just act like you give a damn, act like you even care about my feelings"! The woman cried out hitting him across the face with her fists. "I have a child, YOUR child, and you act like this is all my fault! I can't believe you would do this to me!"

He took her abuse for a few moments before throwing her forwards. Landing on the floor of the gravity chamber, rolling back onto her hip before she was pinned with her wrists. While her suit may allow her to move freely it didn't stop the extra weight of the saiyan on top of her. A small oversight that was probably overlooked by Bulma when designing this suit.

"I didn't do anything to you…" He said in a low rumble, "You and I shared several moments together, we rejoiced in each others misery… I also don't look at what I did as a mistake or this as anyone's fault that it happened. You just don't want to do things my way, and I'm not going to attempt to change that, because you are more stubborn than my father." Whether that last comment was a compliment or an insult was up for debate.

Having her pinned beneath him, the way she struggled, and the sweat poured off her body was just a reminder was to why he had a thing for thing for this woman. "Stop getting so angry with over this, there are some other options i've discovered that could help our situation."

Slowing her struggles a bit against his grip which was still difficult getting him to budge off of her. "Then tell me what they are." Her tone demanding some answers from him, no matter what he said to her. It was his dismissal of everything that made her like this. Acting as if he could just wash his hands of this, that was wrong.

While she herself was no patron saint, the arrival of Piccolo-Kami's younger half she guessed- had her put on edge. While there had been no recurring punishment or the return of the less than glorious nightmares that had plagued her, she felt that perhaps his timing arrival with that of the news of her recent child might be related, that had made her even more stressed. That and he had not returned after her inadvertent savior Broly had shown up.

Well to her she wasn't going to be getting any younger due to this news.

"Well, there's new tech out there. A bit untested, but, it could place the child in cryo stasis, remaining in suspended animation until your time is up. Meaning that once this is done, or when I am in charge of my House. You can return them back and go about as you wish and they will be just as you left them." Kakarot, had heard of this technology, it was a new concept developed by another race of blue skinned creatures who abhorred the wasting of life.

While they did not wish to harm their own children when their population was barely sustainable, they could just stop time as it was for other beings. Letting them live out their day son the planet with a portion of the population locked away in this cryo stasis until either the population issue was resolved or the majority of those on the planet died out making room for more beings to inhabit that world.

It was a concept lost to saiyans, but if it was true. Well then it would certainly be a simple solution to everything, once ready to be born, lock the child away in stasis, then after her service was up, take them and do as she wished, if he somehow, failed becoming the leader of his house. Otherwise this would leave an open wound between the two of them, and he enjoyed her and did not wish to cause further issues between them.

Chi-Chi had value in so much that she did, and though he would not say it aloud. He liked her company and it was a refreshing aspect to his life that he didn't want to just throw away.

Also pissing her off had only made things harder for him, if he could avoid her ire for the next foreseeable nine years then he would enjoy that. It was always better to create alliances and agreements with those who could not be subjugated by force. One didn't need to imagine all of the creative ways a lesser race could attempt to strike back at someone.

"So… just put them in a deep sleep and that's it?" Chi-Chi asked to which Kakarot nodded. "Well that-"

The gravity simulator stopped as the door to the chamber opened up. "You always played to rough Kakarot," The playful voice of Gine coming as she stepped inside observing the two people inside.

"So the boy is fighting with our caretaker, but she's actually fighting back because of that suit she was given. I see…" He had been expecting something like this, he'd seen the way that Kakarot dotted and treated Chi-Chi.

"I guess your plan worked then?" Gine asked to which he released a grunt.

"Well I wanted that damn boy to get out of his rut, and he was willing to humiliate himself to get her back, I already know he's taken her to his bed." The lingering smell of his son's scent was imprinted upon the earthling, marking her as his. He had tried pushing his son in a certain direction and it appeared to be working, gaining a reason to fight for something beyond their own status and pride was difficult. It was why Raditz had turned to cards and gambling, creating a legacy that existed beyond what his father had already established in being a warrior.

Now if his youngest son, excluding their soon to be newborn, could apply himself and move into the forefront. Either taking over the family trade or establishing himself somehow with an increase in power, that would satisfy him for now.

He would've preferred his son not end up sleeping with his caretaker, but what was he supposed to do. There was an appealing woman there, one who had a saiyan heart. His son's attraction would be hard to ignore, but he'd have preferred that it not happen.

But oh well, what was done could not be undone.

"So do you have any plans on where we should send our child to prove themselves?" Gine's words breaking him from his small lapse in the moment.

Her words catching him off guard, he hadn't really given any thought to where he 'should' be sending his offspring. There were becoming fewer planets that posed any real challenge to his blood and avoiding those with crippling conditions that fostered rejected elites like Broly and Kale.

He mused for a second his hand swept around her waist as he squeezed her side, "I'll look around. I don't have anything yet, we have about six weeks until everything is set and they can be sent out."

Finding a planet that would suit their needs exactly wouldn't be terribly complicated, his business trade made him privy to great deals of information that most other saiyans wouldn't know. Fighting wars, serving the empire was one thing, but, his group were hard scouts and knowing information was pivotal if one wanted to survive going to off worlds in hopes of living long.

It wasn't cowardice for him to be cautious, he felt it was more suitable to be prepared. Experiencing a green skin invasion on a world was hell, finding massive flesh devouring creatures with hides thicker than steel and fighting of one single minded ravaging fury was another.

"Well find something decent we don't need anything to happen to our child now… now would we?" Gine said with a smile to which Bardock grunted in agreement. Their newest legacy was a blessing, and something all saiyans would be looking forward too.

Well… not all…

"So, what's the scoop," Yamcha asked Krillin as they sat down for a break, having been working their asses off for Bulma building some newfangled building from scratch. The other Z-fighters were off with Roshi elsewhere, the pervert having lost his privileges to be near the compound for awhile after he'd been caught shamelessly panting over Panchy who was tending to her rose garden outside.

"Eh, what do you mean?" Krillin said gulping down his water, looking away from his friend. Finding the artificial grass to be so interesting all of a sudden.

The other human fighter smirked, "Oh don't play that game with me. I saw you, and I saw a certain blonde girl with you." Announcing much to his friend's supreme embarrassment.

Once Krillin's face was flushed red he knew, "Ahhhaa! I knew it, so who is she? I've never seen her before?"

Fully caught red handed the other warrior put his hands in his lap and looked down, trying to avoid the look he was being given by his older counterpart. Yamcha had always been a ladies man, charming, offering that roguish charm that seemed to capture everyone girl's attention, even Bulma during her adventures as a younger woman.

This left him often at the but of many a joke by his friends and teacher. He often struggled getting the courage to speak with women, he'd tried in vain for the most part to be more involved with everyday affairs but always, much like his height. Falling short.

But, he'd come to meet a strange girl called Eighteen, she was just hanging outside capsule corp. Mostly leaning against the wall, seemingly staring off into nothing. He of course had come out of the complex and noticed her.

She had cast a disinterested glance his way before looking back towards whatever she was looking at.

Those cerulean eyes had caught him immediately, they looked dull and bored. But he couldn't understand why.

So he'd approached her, got several words out of her before she left.

But day after day she'd be there, and everyday he'd talk to her a bit more until finally she told him her name. She was called eighteen, a cruel joke by her parent, she had a brother also called seventeen.

It was from there they actually had conversations and shared a pleasant atmosphere between them. He even saw her crack a smirk once. So after a few weeks he'd finally asked her out with him and too his immediate shock…

"Sounds fun. Why not."

As it was Krillin had his first date with a girl in a long time. The two of them spending some time in an awkward silence for the majority of it, until they came back to capsule corp. The place where they had met.

It was getting later into the evening and knowing that Bulma wouldn't mind he invited her inside to just talk with her.

There… whatever they had wasn't exactly perfect but it was fun and exciting for him. Though it was mostly him doing the work and trying to strike up a conversation with Eighteen who always seemed lost in thought, but when they got inside capsule corp she started talking with him more and more.

Their conversations lasting longer than normal, and last night she had thanked him for another nice evening and even patted his head and smiled.

She had smiled at him!

He felt himself ready to leap into the air and cheer his success but he refrained from acting more like an idiot than he had in the past. Of course, he wanted to find out where she lived and learn more about her but of course, she never did. Saying it was better that he not know too much about her, yet no matter how he had tried to follow her and track her down. She was able to just vanish, no ki signature or a sound. She'd walk away into some building and then nothing, he'd watch her almost fade away.

Though he never had tried to ask her about that, it would probably give him the creepy stalker vibe that he definitely didn't want.

"She's… just someone I know." Krillin admitted in a half hearted mumble.

"Come on man, you gotta tell me more than that! Seriously dude, i've never seen her before." Yamcha pressed him.

But Krillin absolutely didn't want to gossip about it, talking about Eighteen like he was doing it behind her back, a part of him could just imagine her appearing when he opened his mouth was a clear and present in his mind. No, No.

"I don't know that much about her, I just asked her out a few days ago." Krillin knew he needed to at least say something or else Yamcha would never leave it go.

"So… no?" His voice shifting to that hidden, you know, kind of tone.

"NO!" Krillin said offended by the mere accusation. "I wouldn't do that to Eighteen." Before realising it he'd already spit up her name to Yamcha.

The other warrior blinked, "Eighteen? She's called a number. Man that's different."

Damnit! Oh man I really hope she isn't around. The first time I actually meet a girl that doesn't mock me for my height… that much! His usual spine collapsing with the social norms that he wasn't used too. He was a martial artist, he'd trained the majority of his life. Leaving his interactions with people, especially women limiting.

"Look can we just drop this, I don't feel comfortable talking about Eighteen. She's really nice to me and I don't want to spoil things with her alright."

"Oh come on, you gotta share somethin with your bro." Bringing his arm around Krillin's back in an unusual embrace. "Come on man, you've gotta tell me something. Is she like totally a…"

Outside of their vision range the twins were already there, "What took you so long?" A blonde female said, wearing her black halter top and jean jacket with an inverse jean shorts with long black leggings.

The other a black haired man just a few inches shorter than his sister. The orange bandana hanging from his neck as he sported his green and black shirt with cut up blue jeans.

"No, hello. Are you getting cold around me sis?" The other one mocked.

She rolled her eyes, "Because I love having to go back to Dr. Dumbass and tell him once again we haven't gotten what he wanted."

"Yeah… man it kills me we didn't read that fine print. I had no idea he'd make us into artificial humans." Remarking on the criteria that they required to join the good doctor on his trip to Vegeta-sei he required two similar genetic beings, mostly siblings for an experiment. If those who volunteered signed on the dotted line they got to leave. Just not as humans… And with small control chips in the brains that made them helpless when he pushed a button.

But it was either that or stay back on Earth, and this is just way too much fun!

"So what have you gotten and please cut the bullshit today I really don't have time for it." Eighteen's frustrated grunt as she straightened out her hair. The heat was making her look terrible, and her clothing attire choice was just dreadful.

Seventeen ignored her attitude and just pressed his lips together looking at the large building of capsule corp. "Well getting into the main area is easy, the cameras are top notch but with the obvious blind spots I can hide without too much trouble… The biggest problem is the entourage that patrols the place."

"You mean long hair, and fire head." Mocking both of the saiyans with their pet names they had developed for them. They were an impossible prediction, and something that couldn't be overcome. They may be not wholly human but they weren't much more than the scraps that had been left at Gero's new lab at the hands of Paragus's son.

"Yeah, the prince is too wild for me to get to far. Though i'm sure he's noticed me but given no indication." On two separate occasions while doing his best to stealth through capsule corp he had seen the short flame swept man looking in his direction and at him. But nothing, no words, or even a grunt. He turned and left him like that, and once that happened seventeen had to make himself scarce not wishing to push his luck.

Plus the periods of time where he would simply drop down out of blue or wander through the complex looking for Bulma who was in her lab made any attempt of exploring there a nil chance without being discovered. Dr. Gero lost his voice and nearly his throat for attacking one of the Briefs, no doubt a similar effect would be laid out upon anyone who 'snuck' into a location housing the scientists family after that event.

Also he never was near any of the inhabitants of the Brief's household. Not even Mrs. Brief, he had to do this all without drawing any attention or even appearing as a blip on the radar. Subtly, like a thief, which is what he was. Alerting anyone would probably send the whole damn saiyan people upon them. And it wouldn't' take much for anyone to guess how a pair of semi robotic humans came to be.

So Gero, had to be patient… but only so patient.

"Well I don't know what we're going to do. I doubt my balding boyfriend beyond the walls has any way of showing me what we're looking for anytime soon. Of course i'm not going to directly ask him, that's way to stupid." Thumbing her finger in the direction of capsule corp.

Like 'Hi there, do you know about any super secret science tech inside of this building, and could you show me it?'

She may be a blonde but she wasn't that stupid.

"So what were you up too, I know you didn't scout out capsule corp again."

Seventeen snickered, "That obvious?" Watching his sister roll her eyes. "Alright, yeah well the good doctor heard about that little device that was given to one of Long Hair's maids, so I figured, hey might be there and worth investigating…"

(Seven hours ago)

Earlier, the android was sneaking through the Bardock compound. The size of the building while not as big as capsule corp didn't hold some of the same risks. There was security there… two women, the maids, walked about doing their daily chores. One small pink thing, and some other woman who had some fantastic boobs, despite being almost twice his size. Still hot, in a freaky alien way.

But that wasn't his fear, there were massive reptiles that were about fixing the ground, maintaining the property to a fairly extreme degree and being eaten by a crocodile had been one of his fourth grade fears. So he checked off getting anywhere near them.

Next big problem were the two saiyans. Bandana and Miss Clever.

Bandana was apparently Clever's husband, the two were off in the corner of the building engaging in what he would imagine was some very very rough sex. He could hear the claw marks being made into the stone and wood. So he made his way throughout the building, looking in vain to find where the human woman lived.

Creeping throughout the place he found what he assumed to be the maid's quarters. The beds of all varying sizes and a variety of garments and undergarments that made him feel weird. One had panties and a bra for a fourth grader size, and the other was well big enough to suffocate him.

Looking through them, he found nothing that screamed science, take me! It wasn't ideal but it was a chance risk.

But it could elsewhere, could it not?

So, seventeen slinked down the main hall, still hearing the grating sounds of animals coming down the way he knew he still had some time. So he went inside.

In retrospect, probably should've just called it before going inside that master bedroom.

(Present Time)

"So you found nothing?"

"Duh, but I think they probably left it with her. I can't imagine they would just leave it out in the open. So we'll just have to wait for her to go out in public with it or know when we get the chance to copy some of its data down." Seventeen fell back into the artificial grass with an exasperated sigh.

"You're sure no one saw you?" Eighteen asked as her brother groaned, covering his face.

"No, no one saw me. If they did you would know about it, i'm not trying to get myself in trouble… well more trouble than we already are with the doctor."

Eighteen watched her brother, and her eyes studied his behavior. Having known him her entire life she knew he was not being wholly truthful. He probably hadn't been seen… but he had done something.

"Spill it." her eyes narrowing in on the form sprawled out in the grass.

The black haired brother just released a frustrated groan. "Can't you just leave it alone, god's damn sis you really wanna know everything don't you. None of the, 'you know what I don't wanna know attitude' the kind that makes me feel better because I don't have to tell you shit. Why can't you be more like that." His head lifting on the ground give her an irritated glare.

But she wasn't amused by his juvenile disposition, like a child not willing to admit they made a mistake. It was always one of these 'things' with him. Perhaps it was a guy thing? Shaking her head, "Damnit Seventeen what did you do?"

"Look it wasn't anything bad, I may have broken some fancy glass vase. I knocked some damn thing loose. But I put it back, no one will notice." The thing was in the way, also it was a bit out of place, he hadn't seen anything like it. Kind like some lava lamp thing. So what if it went dark, they'd just fix it and then it go back to the way it was.

"You are so incompetent I swear." Eighteen groaned grabbing her forehead. "You better hope no one notices what you did…"

Dozens of miles from capsule town, Nevah was cleaning the top floor. Bardock having taken Viv to do some errands while he went to check in on Kakarot. It was just her and her lady of the house.

Nothing was-

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-!" The most blood curdling scream made Nevah jump into the air as the sheer panic that ripped through the household shook it as a power began to flex and grow around in the air.

Staggering as the house began to almost tear itself apart, Nevah raced down towards the hall where the scream had come from. Where Lady Gine had gone back too.

She burst into the room, finding the angered screams of her lady grasping at the Vita chamber. Through her screams she could hear the wails of a pained creature that sounded like it had been stabbed in the heart.

In the name of the universe and that which guides us all… what- "Oh no…" Nevah said as she saw that something had happened.

"My baby is dead! MY BABY IS DEAD!" Gine screamed her face gushing with tears as she gripped the chamber with her hands and squeezed it tightly, cracks beginning to form protective layer.

Something had happened as Nevah could see that the machine had shut down… but clearly not by the choice of her lady. Moving quickly she brought her arms around the devastated saiyan woman. Squeezing tightly as an attempt to calm her but nothing could stop the wails of a mother who had her very unborn child stolen from her...

R&R

Kerghan