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Chapter 4

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Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest as he felt the waves lap against his feet. Kakarot had been gone for hours and he was hoping that Freeza's goons hadn't come across him wandering about the ocean. The woman had fell asleep hours ago on a beach towel, she had decided to stay with him since he knew nothing of the surface world. It irritated him, but he also felt a sense of gratitude that she'd stayed.

Finally, he saw the blue fin of his newest addition come towards the shoreline. He'd have to go through the process of helping the younger male shift back to his human form. Being a land-dweller for too long would mean the change would be painful. There was no stopping this.

"I see your journey proved refreshing." He leaned down and touched his hand to Kakarot's head. "Now comes the hard and painful part."

He felt his newest charge's pain as if it were his own. The shifting of bones, the sinking of scales, the writhing agony of an untrained merman. Kakarot shook with tremors and silent screams, water forcefully ejected from his body as his lungs began the task of breathing air. In all the writing, they'd woken the woman who sat at the edge of her towel in abject transfixation.

"I..."

"If you want to be of use, I suggest you grab something to cover him before he finishes."

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Bulma rushed to the car grabbing one of the many spare towels she kept in the trunk for her beach visits. If she wasn't a believer before, she most certainly was now. Watching her friend change was a shock to the system and as she handed Vegeta the towel and watched him reorient Goku to the surface she fell forward and blackness swirled about her vision.

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Vegeta sighed as he caught the blue-haired woman. Her reaction to actually seeing the process was what he had expected. However, he needed her since he did not know how to operate the device she called a car. The last time he'd been to the surface, they had not existed.

"Blasted woman." He groaned and pressed his forehead to hers. Her mind was clear, she was just in shock. Vegeta knew he needed to quit doing that or else he'd form a bond with her, but damn it all if he couldn't stop the temptation. When he'd first connected their minds he felt something more, something primal. "She's fine, Kakarot. Just fainted."

"Well, I'm sure it's not every day you find out about merfolk." Goku sighed and placed a hand on her head. "She'll wake soon, I'm sure."

"Indeed." Vegeta grumbled. "Do you know how to operate that contraption?"

"Yeah, Chi-Chi made me get a license. I've got to get back, she'll be worried I'm sure."

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Bluma opened her eyes and groaned as the smell of tea and fresh bread filled her nose. "Easy Bulma. You gave us quite a scare."

Chi-Chi looked down at her and she smiled softly. "I take it you know?"

"Yeah, I had my own incident a little while ago, but Goku was able to wake me." She smiled. "I guess we'll be moving to the ocean after all. I don't want my husband to die."

"It'll be okay, Chi." Bulma rubbed a hand over her face. "If you want a capsule house, you can have one until you find what you're looking for."

"Goku wants to build one so it'll be a temporary fix until he can." Chi-Chi put the tea tray on the table. "Bread?"

"Yes, please. I'm pretty hungry."

"I imagined you might be." She sighed. "Vegeta is strange."

"Well, I imagine he's still trying to get used to land. He is a merman after all."

"So is Goku, but I figure it's because he was raised on the surface."

Bulma just shrugged and buttered her bread.

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Vegeta sat down at the table as Kakarot's woman piled it high with food. Mostly fish, as she learned about the new diet her mate would need. The prince learned that sushi was easily digestible and the rice didn't bother him in the slightest. This was definitely a win so he could further blend in with society and not worry about having to catch his own meals.

"I do hope you're going to move towards the water now?" He questioned as he piled his plate high.

"We are." She sighed.

"Good. Your son, most likely, will be part mer. He will transition at the human age of fifteen." He explained. "The ocean will be his best friend then and I'm hoping that the war will finally be over by then."

"War?" Chi-Chi stuttered. "What war?"

"It's the reason I'm here." He growled. "Freeza, the damn lizard king has taken over Vegetasai. A vast, underwater kingdom, home of all Merfolk. I told my father not to get into that bastards pockets and now the bastion of our people is in ruin."

"What has that got to do with my husband?"

"Kakarot was born to the house of Bardock, my father's loyal guards. They are masters of the sea, controllers of the brood. Everything starts out as legends, but this is another one that holds true."

"The brood?" Bulma chimed in.

"Yes, a band of eel-like creatures that devour the souls of the wretched. Even I, a prince, cannot wield them. They were charged to one family so their use would not be corrupt. Kakarot was taken to the surface before the last of the house fell. We had to lie in wait for him to grow up." He eased back in his chair and looked at their first born son. "He is a part of the house as well."

"Gohan is not even two yet." Chi-Chi put her hand up.

"He won't be needed at the moment. Young are not permitted in battle."

"Is there nothing else that can be done?"

"No. Even I, with my power was unable to stop the tyrant. My father's trident fell and was claimed by him. Freeza, however, cannot wield it and for this I am grateful. The brood is the force we need to overcome the bounds of this oppression so I can finally claim my own birthright and right the wrongs of the past. My people depend on me, or at least, what's left of them."

He stood then and walked to the boy in the highchair trying to stuff pieces of cut fish into his mouth. Vegeta pressed his forehead to the child and sighed. "He will be the next in line, a strong male."

With those words, he walked outside into the rain.