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see you on the other side

Chapter

"Arrival"

"Where's your mom?" Junior demanded, clicking Gohan into his seat. The little boy rubbed at his eyes sleepily, and muttered something incomprehensible. It was three in the morning—rather early for the boy—but they needed to head out. Grumbling, Junior got into the front seat, fingers drumming an angry beat on the steering wheel. It was another ten minutes before Chi Chi appeared.

Junior's jaw dropped as he stared at her.

She had three back packs piled up on her shoulders, two rolling suitcases being dragged, and a few more packs tied around each of the handles. She trudged over to the car, as Junior jumped out of the car, slamming the door behind him.

"Milk—what the hell is all of this?!" he demanded, waving an exasperated hand in her direction. Her face crumpled up, looking defensive as she straightened out her spine.

"It's stuff that I needed to pack!"

"Woman, I know for a fact that I have repeatedly told you that you can't bring anything into the Namek colony!" Junior snarled, reaching to take a bag from her. The one he grabbed jerked his arm down, and he stared incredulously at it. "The hell is in this thing?"

"Just a few extra changes of clothes," Chi Chi huffed, jerking her bag back. Junior allowed it, and pointed back towards the door.

"No. You can't bring any of this," Junior said. "Put it all back!"

"I can't unpack all this!"

"Then don't, just throw the bags upstairs!"

"Well what are Gohan and I supposed to wear?"

"Dende offered some of his clothes for Gohan, and you'll be wearing some of mine." Junior crossed his arms, nodding his head back towards the apartment. "Now go." Chi Chi let loose a shriek of anger, before turning around, storming off.

She returned twenty minutes later, with one bag. When Junior eyed it, she'd told him to stuff it. He decided that he didn't care anymore—she could sit there and be disappointed whenever the Nameks confiscated her stuff. It was almost four when Junior was finally able to back out and get them on their way.

Before they even got to the interstate, Chi Chi had made him stop off, demanding that she had to pee. Thoroughly aggravated, and set back, Junior spent a vast chunk of the morning in stony silence. It wasn't until Gohan woke up that anybody spoke at all.

"I'm hungry," Gohan spoke up, rubbing at his eyes. Junior groaned, but pulled over at Chi Chi's request at the local fast food joint. They all clambered out of the car, legs stiff as Junior took Gohan to the bathroom while Chi Chi ordered.

Junior leaned against the wall as the little boy disappeared into the stall. He yawned, rubbing at his antennae. He was struck with an odd feeling… he was going back to the colony. The toilet flushed, and Gohan came out, giving Junior a big goofy smile.

"I'm super excited, Mr. Junior!" Gohan cried, rushing over. "We're going to your old place—I get to practice my Namekian with someone who isn't Dende!"

"Great, kid—now turn back around. You did not wash your hands, and you know Milk'll ask."

"Okay," Gohan mumbled, hastily rushing over. "Hey… you sure think about mom a lot, huh?"

"No."

"Ah, c'mon, Mr. Junior… Bulma thinks that you and mom should be married."

Junior choked on spit, and stared, wide-eyed, at the little boy. He was currently swiping his wet hands on his little corduroy pants, blinking innocently back at Junior.

"Excuse me?" the Namek demanded.

"Well, she suggested it to me," Gohan replied, joining his fingers behind his back as he rocked onto his toes. "Instead of me marrying you, you know?"

"No—I have no clue what the hell you're even talking about," Junior protested, neck growing a little hot. "Anyways, your mother is married. To your father."

Gohan hummed, and jutted his lip out. "Yeah… you're right. I don't really want dad to be unhappy…"

"Exactly," Junior grunted—though honestly he'd pay good money to see Son Goku miserable. "Enough of this," he said, ushering Gohan out the door. "And don't mention this to your mom. Please. She'll have a freak out, and we have to be trapped in a car with her." Gohan promised, and grasped at Junior's index finger. He flushed in response as he and the little boy joined Chi Chi at a table, where she already had their food ready. She pressed for Gohan to hurry with his food, and absentmindedly slid Junior a water cup.

He gratefully accepted.

They were back in the car in under an hour, which Junior was grateful for. Gohan soon had a huge book out and in his lap as Junior got back on the highway, causing the man to almost swerve off the road as he stared incredulously at the kid.

"Where the hell did you get that from?" he demanded, squinting his eyes up in the rearview mirror. Gohan gave him a perfectly innocent look.

"Dende put them in here last night, before we left."

"You can't take those into the colony—I keep telling you guys this!"

"Actually," Gohan held up the book, and tapped the spine, where a stamp shone—it was obviously in the shape of a dragon, "Dende said so long as it has this, then they'll let me take it in with me! This is a Namekian book, after all." Junior grumbled at the battle he'd lost, and Gohan stuck his tongue out, quickly returning to the pages.

"Can we listen to the radio?" Chi Chi whined, and Junior could already feel his eye twitching. He preferred it better when it was in the early hours of the morning, and he didn't have to deal with both of them at full blast. "Hey!" the woman had the voice of some exotic bird—all shrieks and squawks. "Are you thinking rude things? I know you can hear me! Just play some music! It's dead quiet in here!"

"No, it's not dead quiet," Junior snarled. "Someone won't let it be."

Chi Chi huffed, and flopped back in her seat, arms crossed as she mutinously tapped her fingers against her biceps. "I'm just saying—this is boring. Gohan got to bring some of his books, but you made me put all my stuff back. The least you can do is play something."

"Milk! It is not my decision for you to leave your things!" Junior wanted to throw his hands in the air, and just let the car crash into a ditch for all this. "What part of the Nameks confiscate things are you not getting?"

"Ok! But we're just in the car! I still could have brought some stuff!"

"If I'd let you bring one thing, you would have brought your whole damn apartment! You don't understand the thought of packing lightly!"

"Oh my God! I packed Gohan too much underwear once, would you let it go?!"

"Multiple times!" Junior corrected, shooting her a glare. "Don't think I forgot about that Videl girl's slumber party. You're a menace! How many suitcases did you have when we tried to leave?"

Chi Chi flushed. "I hardly think that matters—look, just play the radio! Why are you being such a—a butt!"

"A butt, really? You know the kid's not a moron, right? He knows cuss-words!"

"Nuh-uh!" Gohan interjected, shaking his head desperately. "Momma—I don't, really!"

"For the love of—fine!" Junior bellowed, and slammed his palm flat on the steering wheel. "If it'll shut your ass up," he glared at Chi Chi, "I will play some damn music!" Chi Chi muttered something about language, but he gave her a murderous look, and she fell silent. Her face was mutinous, but she'd won, unfortunately. He dug a hand into his console, and popped open a CD, shoving it in at random.

A steady percussive noise filled the car, and Junior felt himself relaxing as the sound of Nik Fiend filled his ears. He could never really get himself into the heavy screaming metal, but he old eighties rock wasn't so offensive to his senses.

Beside him, her felt Chi Chi bristling.

"The hell is this?" she demanded.

"Language," Junior corrected snidely, as Gohan let out a rather loud wail.

"See—you've upset Gohan!" Chi Chi huffed, turning around. "Listen, baby, it's okay—,"

"I don't have my leather jacket!" Gohan cried, brows furrowing angrily. "This is supposed to be cool music, and I don't even have it!" He looked thoroughly put out as he slumped over his book.

Junior snorted. "Again. For the last time. Neither of you were to bring anything—we can't take it in!"

"But I could have worn it in the car!" Gohan argued, chin jutting out, just like his damned mother.

"You two were not going to just leave a bunch of shit in my car!" Junior pinched at the bridge of his nose. "We're almost there anyways, so why don't both of you sit down, and chill!"

"How can I chill when we have devil music playing?" Chi Chi scoffed, and reached for the radio. Junior made a noise of disgust, and swatted her hand away. She seemed terribly offended. "How dare you! This is inappropriate!"

"Listen, Milk, I don't know what you're planning on playing, but no."

"I could have good taste in music!" Chi Chi argued.

"Really? Favorite song?"

Chi Chi said something, and Junior gave her a mystified look.

"The hell—I don't even know what language that was!"

"It was Mandarin," Gohan supplied, presumably to be helpful. Junior found it obnoxious, and thought that the kid had better be lucky he was all right.

"You know I don't have satellite radio, right Milk? You're not finding that shit on basic radio stations!"

Chi Chi frowned. "Well, I was going to find the local mix or party station. They play a bunch of different stuff and Gohan likes them. He's very fond of synth."

"I like Phil Collins," the little boy chirruped.

Junior wanted to cram a fist in each of their faces.

"No. We're listening to Alien Sex Fiends. It's already in and—," he exhaled sharply, realizing the fatal mistake he'd made. He really should have just made up a name for the bound. Chi Chi was practically screaming about the indecencies being plagued upon her child. Junior gritted his teeth, and was fully prepared to stand his ground. The CD was going nowhere, and he'd be damned if Milk had any control over him.

They pulled into the parking lot, Gohan cheerily singing along to Africa, and Junior feeling like he'd left a part of his soul back somewhere along the road. Chi Chi had her window down, eyes narrowing as Junior parked the car. It was clear that confusion was plain on her face, and he cleared his throat and turned off the car, cutting short Gohan's enthusiastic karaoke.

"This is it…?" Chi Chi pursed her lips. On the outside, Junior could understand that it was very underwhelming. He read it on Gohan's face as well. They both had been expecting something different, that was certain. The parking lot was fairly empty, and in front of them was just a shitty building, that looked like any rest stop around the world. There were no markings, and the doors were rather grungy. A huge brick wall was built up around the building, spreading out into two giant wings that ran into the local mountains.

"This is it," he replied. "This is the waypoint, where they'll check our luggage, and make sure nothing inappropriate is coming in." Junior popped open his door, and rubbed at his antennae. "They'll make us change before we can go into the colony." He pressed the release button on the trunk, and it flew open. Chi Chi and Gohan both slowly exited the vehicle, Gohan clinging to his books that he'd brought as he stood by his mother's hip.

"It's…" Chi Chi glanced around. This part of the road was practically deserted. Mountains stretched on down, high cliff faces blocking any view that they would have of what lay behind the brick walls and building. Junior drew out his duffel bag, slinging it over his shoulder. He gave Chi Chi's one bag a glance of disapproval, but she flipped him the bird behind Gohan's back. He chuckled.

"It's disappointing on the outside," Junior came up to them. "That's the point. The less visitors the better, so far as they're concerned. That's another reason the regulations stay so strict. The less tourists, the better." He shrugged his shoulders, and motioned for them to follow him. He strode up to the doors, pressing them open. Inside was hot—or, at least, hot for the humans falling in step behind him.

He heard Chi Chi and Gohan make startled noises, blowing air out as they gazed around. Inside, instead of normal flooring, was clipped grass. Up in the ceiling were startlingly bright lights—mimicking the sun for the Namekians that were kept inside all day on duty. The Nameks in the area were all tall—and he could tell that Chi Chi and Gohan were staring, looking pointedly between him and the others. Two Nameks approached them—the rest gave them a wide birth, though all eyes were on Junior.

"Piccolo…" one of the two muttered, dipping his head in acknowledgement.

"Ukatz," Junior returned, both of the men looking extremely uncomfortable.

"You're not going to make this difficult, are you?" Ukatz crossed his arms, eyes trailing to where Chi Chi and Gohan stood behind him. "Don't think I've forgotten your indiscretions." His gaze narrowed pointedly, and Junior shrugged.

"I'm not a kid anymore," he replied, and tossed the duffel bag to Ukatz. It was true that he'd been a royal pain in the ass when he was younger. Ukatz was older than him by at least a decade, and had been on duty during many of Junior's escapades for sneaking things in. He and Nail were the entire reason that the brick wall was built even higher now.

Ukatz was shuffling through the bag, and withdrew a couple of outfits. "You know the drill," the older man stated, tossing clothes in Junior's directions. He still seemed extremely wary of Gohan and Chi Chi, even more so than was normal. Junior frowned at that. He knew that there was a prejudice against humans, but all of the Nameks seemed on edge.

He turned to Chi Chi and Gohan, leading them over to a small bathroom cubicle. Gohan seemed ecstatic, pointing out the particular breed of vine that covered it. Junior stared, mystified, before shoving the boy in, and tossing one of Dende's robes in after him.

Gohan came back out, long robe pooling down around his feet. Junior crouched down next to him, attempting to not look directly at the boy's wide, toothy grin as he wrapped Dende's balaclava around Gohan's neck. He glanced at it with an odd look, and seemed to struggle with its presence.

Chi Chi stepped in next, coming out with baggy pants that she was desperately holding up, and a large robe and vest draped over her figure. Junior snorted, much to her chagrin, before he pulled a bright red band out, and looped it around her waist.

"This will keep them up," he said, cinching it rather tightly, as he smirked into her glaring face. He then proffered her her very own neck piece, which she too seemed to struggle with. Then it was Junior's turn, and he was unwadding clothes. Outside the cubicle, he could hear the Nameks speaking to Gohan and Chi Chi, and could only assume that they were being led through the process of checking bags.

He strode out, straightening his bulky shoulder piece, and pressing out his purple gi. It was a little shorter than he remembered, and the soft soled shoes felt odd after years of converse flat against his feet. When he glanced around for Chi Chi and Gohan, he saw that the two were surrounded by several Namekians, as Chi Chi was arguing with them, red faced.

"You don't—no! You don't understand! I need these items," her voice high pitched as she attempted to snatch back her bag from them, while Ukatz roughly shoved her back. Her eyes flared, and Junior saw this going south rather quickly, and rushed over, catching Chi Chi's fist before she could let it fly.

"Milk—what the hell! I told you not to bring shit in here," he hissed. "They will confiscate it, remember?"

"But I need that bag!" Chi Chi argued, and behind them, Gohan huffed.

"No fair, Mr. Junior! You got a cape! I didn't know that was a choice!"

"Kid—no, wait, Milk!" He shook his head, focusing on the real problem at hand. "What could possibly be so important in that stupid bag?"

Chi Chi's face was fiery red as she glared up at him, mouth barely moving as she whispered, "It's my undergarments."

"Oh." Junior's ears pinned back against his skull as he flushed as well, glancing desperately to where Ukatz was digging into her bag, dragging out a bra and inspecting it. He cursed, and approached Ukatz, grimace on his face. "Look. I know you're supposed to confiscate it all, but these are undergarments that she has to wear."

Ukatz's face was bland as he stared back at Junior. The Namekians beside him had dug out some of Chi Chi's panties, and out of respect for her, Junior was very pointedly Not Looking at them, and attempting to ignore the curses streaming out of Chi Chi's mouth.

"I'm not a fool," Ukatz said, pointedly picking up the lacy piece and wagging it in front of Junior's face. "I've seen these things. They're gun holsters." He tossed the thing away, and Junior was rather grateful. He didn't like the fact that he officially knew what was happening under Chi Chi's clothes.

"They're not gun holsters," Junior snapped, rubbing at his antennae. The Son family was a hassle. "Listen—she has…" he trailed off, face burning. "She has parts that need to be held in." Ukatz's face didn't look very sympathetic. He groaned. "I've actually been outside of the colony," Junior reminded him, "I think I'd know."

"And you think I was hatched yesterday?" Ukatz bristled. Obviously Junior holding any extensive knowledge over his head was not being taken well. "I remember your tricks, Piccolo. Like hell I'm letting you take anything in this place that could be used incorrectly. If she has parts, then that's on her." Ukatz narrowed his eyes in Chi Chi's direction. "You know the deal. Talk to Kami and the Elders, and maybe you can have them back." He snapped his fingers, and the Namekians began shoving Chi Chi's undergarments back into the bag, and they took off with it.

Junior snarled at his defeat, and turned to see Chi Chi's fiery face.

"We're meeting with Kami," he muttered. "He'll be able to get it passed through. He knows about humans—at least kind of." He sighed. "Let's go."

"What about our clothes?" Gohan asked, their outfits in a little heap.

Ukatz snapped his fingers again, drawing their attention to a large wooden door. "They'll be collected and stored until you leave the colony again. Now—proceed through the door. If you have kept anything in your pockets, they will be visible to the Nameks on the other side, and you will be stopped." He pointed at Gohan's books. "Keep those visible, and have the stamp ready for verification if you're stopped."

Junior shuffled them forward, though he could see Chi Chi was practically hyperventilating as the fell in line behind her. They passed through the hall, where a strange light washed over them, bright purple. Gohan grew scared, and yelped, jumping for Junior. He rolled his eyes, and scooped the boy up, allowing him to cling tightly to him as they proceeded forward.

The door opened at the end of the tunnel, and now he could see Chi Chi and Gohan's face open wide with the astonishment that they'd expected to have back at the entrance. In front of them spanned untold amounts of greenery, flowers crawling high into the air as they bloomed, waxy stems coated in bright sunlight. The houses were all domed and made of the same sandy material, though some of them had murals of poorly painted flowers spread across them, and old wooden signs hung crookedly off of the larger buildings.

The pathway was stippled with wide stones, names etched into them of old council members. All around milled Namekians, some of them of stock like Junior, others from the 'Dragon' breed like Dende. He shifted his grip, getting Gohan comfortable as the boy clung to his cape, jaw practically in the grass as he stared.

Junior had never really thought about how his triumphant return to the colony would be, but he certainly, never in his wildest dreams, had he imagined that he'd be holding a gaping child and a tiny woman, who was still muttering under her breath about panties. He pressed his lips into a thin line, as he noticed that several Namekians had taken an interest in the new comers, eyes locked onto the trio.

"All right," Junior grumbled, not wanting to be out in the open anymore. "Dende has a separate shop here, and his house his attached. We can go there and wait for Kami, I'm sure he'll expect me there anyways." He started walking, and turned to Chi Chi, who still appeared spaced out and aggravated. "Milk—keep up," he barked. The last thing he needed was for her to get lost in the gaggle of Nameks.

"Dende has another place?" Gohan asked. "How come?"

"Well," Junior slowed his long strides just slightly, to accommodate for Chi Chi's smaller legs, "he and Nail like the colony. I've lived with them for a long time, so whenever they want, they just come back here to visit, and I'll keep an eye on Porunga's."

"You've been working there for years, and you still suck at it?" Chi Chi demanded, and Junior sneered his lips up at her.

"You try being surrounded by plants your whole life—it's boring as hell." He frowned, then, and attempted to remember the way. He led them further in, where it began to resemble more of a modernized town. Some people had old cars that puttered on old roads. The pavement was split with cracks, where weeds could be seen sprouting, and even the occasional plant.

Chi Chi gave them dubious looks as they stepped over a rather large vine that occupied the middle of the sidewalk. "Don't they clean this place up?" she demanded.

"No," Junior replied. "They believe that Earth is to grow naturally." He rolled his eyes. "They'll build things, but they don't interfere with nature itself. Stupid, isn't it?" Chi Chi didn't say anything, but he guessed that she agreed. He was still attempting to bypass how weird it was to be here, with them in Namekian clothes…

He shook his head. The turn was right up ahead. They rounded the corner, and Junior froze, almost dropping Gohan. "What the hell…?" Chi Chi demanded as she almost walked into him, her eyes quickly following his to what was just a charred, stained mess. She glanced at him, but he didn't say anything.

"Mr. Junior…?"

"That's Porunga's Post," Junior muttered, furrowing his brow. "Or, what used to be…"

"Ah—Piccolo!" A voice drew their attention, and all three whirled around. Kami strode forward, bent over his cane as his long robes barely brushed the sidewalk. His face was longer and had far more wrinkles than Junior remembered. He tightened his grip around Gohan, though tried to keep it from being obvious.

"Old man." Junior kept his face blank, as Kami stumbled forward, arms shaking from the effort. He thought fleetingly of revisiting old memories, where he'd kicked his uncle's legs out from underneath him on this very corner.

"I'm glad you're here," Kami wheezed, eyes flickering briefly to Chi Chi and Gohan. The two Sons both sat in silence, obviously counting on Junior in this instance. "People contacted me, and I was surprised to see that you headed this way. To see the wreckage, I suppose?" He gave a defeated sigh, leaning around Junior's bulky frame.

"I didn't know about it," Junior responded. "I figured this is where we'd stay."

"Oh." Kami appeared off-balance now. "Dende and Nail didn't tell you…?"

"Obviously not, if I didn't know," Junior snapped.

"That temper of yours…" Kami snorted, and tilted his head. "A few humans came in. They claimed that they were here to do research for some book or another. We thought their credentials were real, but it turns out they managed to sneak in some outside items." His face creased, making him look a hundred years older. "We were lucky that Dende and Nail were not home at the time."

Junior stared at the charred remains. That explained the strict security. He saw that Gohan was looking troubled, and that Chi Chi had a similar expression on her face. He grunted, drawing their attention to him. Whatever face he was making, he hoped it imbued them with something, as they both relaxed.

"So, old man. Where's the thing I was sent here for? Where are you keeping it?" Junior shifted Gohan to the other arm, and he flexed his now free limb. Kami definitely took notice, eyes following the little boy.

"It's this way," Kami coughed, and pressed forward, can clicking against the pathway.

Chapter

"Instrumental"

"It's—," Junior's jaw flew open, and he forgot his stoic façade as he practically salivated at the sight. In front of his very eyes was a large, shiny, purple motorcycle, with skull decals pressed onto the side. It was custom-made—had to be with the size accommodation. It was clearly made for someone Junior's size, and he wanted to run to it immediately, but he managed to reign himself back in.

"Yes, it's causing quite the disturbance," Kami grumbled, glaring at the young Namekains who were clearly shirking their duties to come stare at it.

"Why not move it, then?" Junior demanded, but Kami sighed.

"I'm not a complete idiot, despite what you seem to think," Kami retorted, and lifted a crooked finger to a figure standing near the motorcycle. Junior gaped, and slowly lowered Gohan to the ground.

"Tambourine?" Junior was reeling, and he was startled to see his brother step forward. If Junior were ever to describe him, it would have just been big, bad, and ugly. They'd never really had much interaction, as he'd been born way before Junior's time. He was known to be brutal, and his large, misshapen body, and dark green texture were of no surprise. The thing that mostly threw Junior off, was the fact that his brother was not wearing Namekian garb.

"Piccolo," Tambourine greeted, cocking his mottled head, eyes narrowing as he saw Chi Chi and Gohan. "Wanna tell me why you're carrying vermin around?"

Junior quickly stepped in front of the two, motioning behind his back for Chi Chi to shut her trap for once. "They're none of your concern. Why are you here?"

"Mai and Pilaf called me," Tambourine stepped forward, running his hand along the handlebars to the motorcycle. He dug keys out of his pocket, and twirled them around his finger. "Apparently pops wanted you to have this thing." The casual mention of his father made Junior bristle. "Apparently Piano was too busy over-seas to bother with you." A nasty sneer made its way across Tambourine's face.

"Then hand it over," Junior said, keeping his voice flat as he extended his palm. Tambourine gave him an uninterested look.

"I have a better idea." Tambourine thoughtfully tossed the keys back and forth between his hands. "I had to waist a shit ton of my time just for you, little brother, and I don't quite enjoy that. The fact that in this state, our father only wakes up to yell about you—," Tambourine spat at his feet, "really pisses me off."

"Then take the damn bike, for all I give a damn," Junior snapped. "I don't need shit from the old man."

Tambourine frowned. "Now, don't be like that. You always were a show out in front of company, huh?" his very purposefully flickered to where Gohan and Chi Chi were standing. "Hey, how about this? A fun little game. You brought a bunch of vermin here, so maybe they can sniff this out for you." Without saying a word, Tambourine revealed large wings, and Chi Chi and Gohan gasped. Junior snarled. Tambourine steadily rose into the air, wound up his arm, and sent the keys flying.

Kami cried out, and Junior crossed his arms in agitation. He didn't know what the hell Tambourine was playing at, but this was starting to piss him off.

"Find those keys, and you get to leave! I'll watch you squirm for a bit, to make up for me having to come back to this hell hole for a useless shit like you!" Tambourine cackled, and Junior felt his temper mounting.

"What the hell is stopping me from leaving?" Junior demanded, hands already forming fists.

"Oh, then," Tambourine cocked his head to the side, vicious smile still in place, "we'll fight. Either you play my game, or I show your punk ass up. Easy."

Junior opened his mouth, ready to knock Tambourine out, but he glanced down to where Gohan was, eyes wide as he stared at them. No. He promised… Junior gritted his teeth. "Fine. We'll get the fucking keys."

"I'll be watching!" Tambourine cheered. "Oh, and Kami, be a dear and leave the bike there. Wouldn't want anything to happen to it before Ickle Pickle gets a swing at it, huh?" He crowed cheerfully and took off, whooping and hollering.

Junior stood still, practically shaking with rage as he sucked in a deep breath. Beside him, he could feel Chi Chi and Kami practically converging on him, and he held up a hand, snarling at them all to keep their distance.

Kami frowned, and rubbed at his drooping antennae. "Come… you can take lodging at my place."

"You have a brother?!" Chi Chi practically exploded the moment they were alone—which was the moment she'd managed to corner him in one of Kami's bedrooms. Gohan had been sent to the next room, though Junior could see the hurt in his eyes at being excluded from their conversation.

Junior shushed Chi Chi with a hiss. "Keep it down, would you?" he moved to the bed, where he seated himself, cape pooling underneath him. "And yes, I have a brother. Well, multiple, if you want to be finicky."

Chi Chi ran a hand through her messy hair, pacing around the room. "Are all of them psychos?"

Junior thought about saying no, before proffering a half-hearted shrug. "Most of them joined my father in working for the Cold family. I'm the youngest in the brood, and all of them were gone by the time I was old enough to recognize anything. Quite a few of them are overseas now."

Chi Chi pressed a knuckle into her mouth, and she soon joined him on the bed. His weight had caused it to dip down, and she was sunk down with him, hip touching his thigh, though she didn't seem to notice.

"This is nuts—I should never have brought Gohan! Safest place, my ass!" Chi Chi hissed, thumping a fist into her thigh. "Dende knew about this fire and yet he sent us here! And they never told you—now this Tambourine thing…"

Junior crossed his arms. "I'm not happy about it either. I want you and Gohan out of here," he muttered, face contemplative. She whirled in surprise, eyes wide as she stared at him. "What?" he demanded, defensive. "This wasn't in the plan."

"No kidding…" Chi Chi dropped her head into her hands. Awkwardly, Junior roughly smacked her back. She gave him an odd look. "All right, I think you were trying to be… helpful? So I'll let that pass." She fell silent for a moment. "Can I ask one really big question?"

"What?"

"Why the hell does your brother have wings?!"

Gohan frowned at his books. He'd been excited about this trip. He wanted to go to Junior's colony and experience it in full, and put his knowledge to good use. He thought he already knew all of Junior's secrets, but now a whole new page of things had revealed themselves. Gohan felt the slightest bit betrayed.

Nobody told him that the Namek colony was filled with arson and bully older brothers that he didn't know existed.

His finger slid across one of the pages he had open. Out in the hall, he heard a creaking floor board over the hushed voices of his mom and Junior, and Gohan perked up as Kami appeared. The old man hobbled into the room, and Gohan respectfully rose to his feet.

'Hello'! Gohan greeted, nodding to the older man, who blinked in surprise.

'You speak Namekian?' Kami asked, and Gohan recognized some of the bits. He'd been practicing with Dende so hard, and he'd brought his book for reminders. This was the first time he'd been able to practice with anyone that wasn't Dende, and he was excited.

'A little,' Gohan responded, his tongue slow and stumbling as he went, but Kami seemed patient. 'Dende has been teaching me. He is very good.' Kami arched his large brows, causing more waves of wrinkles up above. He brought his frail hands together into a light golf clap, elbow keeping his cane steady.

"Marvelous," the old man assured him, coming closer. "Dende has a good student in you." Gohan beamed at the praise, and marveled at Kami's accent. It was odd—the old man attempted to slur words together like the Namek language did, and he could see the thin lips pursing around foreign words.

Gohan sat back down on his bed, then, and pulled the books closer. "I want to practice more," he said, "but Dende's awful busy with his shop… I didn't know he had two before today…" Gohan frowned, jaw jutting. "I guess I didn't know a lot of things."

Kami sighed, and leaned against his cane. "I take it Piccolo is perhaps not the most open?"

"He prefers Junior, now," Gohan corrected, and he saw Kami nod his big head slowly.

"Ah. Of course. You'll have to forgive me. I've known him since he hatched, and it's not often easy to give up such an old habit." He stared at Gohan for a moment longer, wrinkles collecting at corners as he did so. "You seem upset about ah… Junior's secrets."

Gohan rubbed at the corner of his eyes. "I guess I just thought—well, I dunno, that Mr. Junior was really opening up to me n' mom."

"This mother, she is the woman with dark hair?" Kami asked, pointing to the wall that separated them. "I know quite a few things about you humans, but sometimes my knowledge his spotty. Especially with the concept of mothers…" He gave a dry chuckle. "It's a very hard thing to grasp."

"Yeah, that's my mom," Gohan affirmed. "I really thought Mr. Junior was our friend."

"Your Mr. Junior," Kami chortled again, obviously amused by the nickname, "is perhaps more open with you than you realize. Comparatively. He is not very open by nature." His eyes grew watery as he cast a wistful gaze towards the wall. "He has been closed off and irritable since hatching. I believe it is his way."

Gohan wasn't convinced. "We didn't know anything about him having a brother."

Kami blinked. "Why should he? He was not raised with his brood. Junior was born so late into my brother's life, that he has practically no ties with any of them." The old man huffed, and tightened his grip on his staff. He didn't seem entirely steady. "Junior is still very young, little one. His brothers are not."

"Well… he just never mentioned any of them."

Kami heaved his shoulders. "You met them today. Would you want to talk about them?"

Gohan actually grinned, just the tiniest bit. "All right, fair enough… they kind of suck."

Kami returned the grin. "Indeed."

"So, ingesting certain DNA effects your egg…" Chi Chi repeated slowly, before curling her lip up. "Eugh—gross."

Junior shrugged. "He's definitely a nasty specimen."

Chi Chi sighed, and glanced at Junior. "Any reason why he hates your guts?"

Junior's ears pinned back. "All of my siblings feel that way. It's not something I've ever been able to wrap my head around myself. I didn't grow up with them, I have no ties to them. The most I ever saw them was at big functions with the Cold family." Chi Chi gave him a rather pointed glare. "What? I was a kid—trust me, I'm no fan of Freeza or his nasty family myself."

"This is still so odd… what could this Tambourine want from harassing you?"

Junior huffed. "You heard him—he's pissed and acting like an ass on purpose. I don't know his reasons, I just know we need to get those keys, and get the hell out of here."

"Will he let you leave, even if you get the keys?" Chi Chi asked, furrowing her brow. Junior pressed his lips into a thin line.

"Possibly. Either way, there's no help coming for us. All of the Nameks are scared shitless of my whole family." Junior pressed his teeth together. "For good reason. Tambourine's not the kind of fucker you want to fight."

Chi Chi nodded slowly at that, as she looked to Junior. "You could take him, couldn't you…? But you didn't…"

"My promise to Gohan still stands," he snapped, face plum colored as he averted it from her prying eyes. "We'll settle this just fine."

Chi Chi had an odd look on her face, but acquiesced, in favor of placing her small hand on Junior's broad shoulders. "Well, thank you," she murmured. "I'm sure it means a lot to him…"

Junior hunched up further, and Chi Chi smiled, just the slightest bit. The Namek colony was a pain in the ass, she decided, but it wasn't all bad.

"VEGETA!" Bulma called the short man, and he took his sweet time on his way to her lab. She'd been a mad woman ever since she'd discovered Zarbon's ill intentions. The man had been by numerous times, asking to see her, and sending her messages. It was obvious to Vegeta that he was worried about any repercussions from Freeza—but Bulma was unsympathetic. She completely ignored the man's existence, and Vegeta would have been rather excited about the fact, had she not immediately thrown herself into work.

Every morning he woke, and she was already down in her lab, the computer keys flying furiously as random breakfast items hung from her mouth. He'd go workout, and she'd interrupt every few hours to shout some new (stupid) idea about how to free Vegeta. Perhaps if he were nicer, he'd care about her efforts. But, as it stood, she was interrupting his valuable training time for nonsense. There was no freedom from Freeza.

So he took his time, grabbing himself a sandwich to snack on the way down the long metal halls. He entered the lab, chewing in a way he knew annoyed her, just to be snagged out of the doorway by the woman rolling around madly in a chair. She clutched at his arms, dark circles underneath her eyes a sickeningly bruised color as she gave him a huge, toothy grin.

"Woman, have you lost what little sense you have?!" Vegeta demanded as his sandwich fell to the floor, where he was left to feel rage swirling around him at the indignity of it all. He was trying to eat, damn it all, and she just wouldn't let him have this one thing!

"No!" Bulma cackled, and he sneered his lip up at her atrocious breath. "Come here!" She dragged him over to the computer. "Look at this!" She jabbed a finger at the screen, and Vegeta stared at the myriad of words that overtook it. It gave him a migraine just to even glimpse at the screen, and he jerked out of her grasp.

"What, you damn thing?! What?" He threw his arms up in exasperation as Bulma wheeled herself around in a 360 turn.

"I found the secret to freeing you!" she cheered. "And all it took was some digging around in old files. I found out, there was a Saiyan that worked underneath Freeza, over thirty years ago—but he got out! The Colds couldn't keep him anymore!"

Vegeta frowned. "Impossible! He has our rights signed to him through contract. If you were anybody else, he would have burned down your entire house long ago and gotten me back no issue." He didn't appreciate being played with in this way. There was nothing that could break Freeza's full proof plan. Saiyans didn't have rights, it was that simple.

"Oh contraire, my pointy haired friend!" Bulma jumped from her seat, and looked down at him. "A man by the name of Bardock was able to leave Freeza's ranks, all by marrying a human here on Earth." She looked to him, and saw his brow furrowing.

"What…?"

"It's why they can't have Goku!" Bulma continued. "It's why they have to use actual contracts to get through to him—it's why they can't force him like you were! He has Chi Chi as a legal shield, and before her, he wasn't even on the grid. So, from bum-fuck Egypt, to married legally here on Earth, they haven't had a chance. This Bardock dude married out, too. Vegeta! You can be free!"

She was holding him softly now, her eyes taking on that weird, soft shape as she looked at him, and he could feel himself inwardly panicking. What she was saying didn't make sense. This was nonsense. The way out couldn't be this.

"Freeza trains you, and conditions you, to where you'll never express emotion," Bulma continued on, her voice still strangely soft in ways that he didn't like, that made his fur stand on end. "That's why he got so pissed when your tail was acting out in public! That's why he breeds and abuses you! He dehumanizes you to the point where he feels like he's safe."

Her mouth puckered into a sad frown, and Vegeta gritted his teeth.

"So, Vegeta, all I'm asking is—if you'll marry me. And then you'll be free."

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