Hey guys. Just wanted to say sorry for uploading last time without much comment. Thank you so much for the reviews and the follows. It really means a lot. Also, I'm sorry these past few chapters haven't been very large. I noticed that I started out pretty big, but ended up kind of small. I have finals this week and I'm pretty stressed out. Plus, I find it easier to do more frequent, shorter updates than longer ones that would take me a longer time. Sorry. Anyway, thanks again. Oh yeah, and by the way, this chapter is set up a little weird. We starter further ahead than where we left off last time, but don't worry. You'll find out what happened later in the chapter. Sorry for any confusion.


Chapter 13

"That should about do it," Krillin breathed as he placed another man on the ground several feet away from the debris. "Unfortunately, not all of them made it. What kind of sick person would do something like this?"

Bulma sighed. "I know exactly what kind of person would do this. Vegeta hasn't answered any of my calls. Where could he be? More importantly, if he's gone, where is Gohan?"

Many people had left from the scene of destruction by now. Reporters were scrambling, trying to interview Krillin, but he wasn't giving them any chances.

"You know, I think it is a little unfair to pin this whole thing on Vegeta. Don't get me wrong. I don't trust the guy for one minute, but the dragon balls are supposed to reappear any time now. What if Frieza came back to stop us?"

"You're right," said Bulma, beginning to walk away from the debris. Many paramedics and ambulances were surrounding them, giving the victims medical attention. The two made their way across the street and started walking away. "I just wish Goku would get back soon. How much time does he need to train? Didn't he train enough last year when Vegeta came to Earth the first time?"

Krillin shook a little thinking of Goku coming back in Ginyu's body. The idea was unsettling to him back on Namek. So much time had passed since then and he still wasn't used to it. His best friend since he was just a young kid looked totally different, almost menacing. "I'm sure Goku will be back soon enough."

"I don't think we should take any chances. Anything could be happening right now. Why don't you go get Piccolo?"

They hadn't spoken to Piccolo in weeks. The man had been training up in the mountains again. He really enjoyed being alone. The only person's company he enjoyed appeared to be Gohan and the half Saiyan was busy enough trying to help control Vegeta back at the Briefs home. Plus, Vegeta and Piccolo did not get along at all. The two made Goku and Vegeta look like best friends.

Krillin thought about this for a second and then nodded. "That sounds like a good idea to me. If you run into Gohan and Vegeta, bring them back to your house and make sure they stay put. It's probably a good idea for all of us to stay put."

Bulma nodded before saying goodbye to Krillin. The short man flew away in an instant. Bulma turned around and began walking back to her car, but something caught her eye. Across the street, near the rubble, was a man digging through some of the debris, furiously throwing pieces of metal and shards of glass.

Bulma walked over to Vegeta, who didn't seem to take notice of her until she got up right by him. He jumped at her presence. "What did you do that for?" he shouted. "Don't come up behind me and scare me like that!"

Bulma sighed. She knew she was supposed to be shaking in fear of the Saiyan prince, but she couldn't help but grow angry at him. She took a second to calm herself down before going on. "What are you doing here?"

"I… I… uh, just came back to look for something."

"Look for what?" Bulma asked. "What happened? I gave you guys a simple task. I just wanted you to pick up some parts from the convenience store and you've been gone for hours. What happened here? Where's Gohan?"

"That's… that's who I'm looking for," Vegeta stammered. "Well, I mean the boy left something back here before we left."

"And just what were you doing here?" Bulma asked angrily. "Where'd you go? What did you leave behind? Please tell me you got what I asked you to pick up."

Vegeta hesitated before shaking his head. "Let's just say we ran into a bit of trouble here on the way. Some robbers came by and I gave 'em what they deserved."

"Oh God," said Bulma. "You can't just do that, Vegeta! How many times do I have to tell you? These are innocent people we're talking about here. If Goku were here - ."

"No more talk about Goku!" Vegeta exclaimed. "I'm here now. We do things my way." He bent down and then proceeded to start digging through the rubble again.

Bulma studied him before speaking again. Vegeta usually had an angry, cynical attitude, but today was definitely one of his worse days. Her eyes widened as she noticed his jacket was missing. "Oh no. Please don't tell me that's what you're looking for. Did you leave your jacket back here?"

Vegeta sighed in frustration. Why was the woman getting so worked up about this? "What do you care if I did? It's just a worthless piece of clothing."

"You didn't seem to think your armor was a worthless piece of clothing! I've heard nothing but you complain about losing it for the past four months while I've been busy, tirelessly trying to design some new armor for you. Besides, it's not the jacket I care about. It's what's in it. I gave you my cell phone and the dragon radar. The dragon balls are supposed to reappear any time now. We can't have the dragon radar missing."

Vegeta's eyes widened. "Dragon radar?"

"Yes, the dragon radar," Bulma replied. "You know, we use it to find the dragon balls. I think I've mentioned it to you before. You're so lucky I have some extra back at home. It would take us forever to find that one in this mess and it would take me forever to construct a new one."

Vegeta nodded. "Okay then. What's the big deal? I'll stop looking for that blasted jacket and we'll go back to your home. I can take the new radar with me."

Bulma rolled her eyes before taking Vegeta's hand. The man appeared to be startled by this because he jumped again. "Come on. Let's get back to the car and I'll take you back to my place. Krillin went off to find Piccolo and they should be back soon. We need to find Gohan."

Vegeta let the Earth woman lead him back to her vehicle. He slid into the passenger seat as Bulma placed herself on the other side. In a second, the car took off. "Do you have any idea where he is?"

"No," Vegeta answered quickly. "The boy and I got separated after. I tried to find that place, but it was nowhere in sight. Next time, you should give me better directions."

"Better yet, next time I'll go myself. This is just too much to go through for just one little part. What the hell were you thinking? You don't have to worry, Vegeta. From now on, you stay home and train. You'll get what you want. It doesn't matter anyway. Goku's coming back soon anyway."

The car ride passed quickly. The two didn't talk very much. Vegeta spent the time staring out his window at the weak little Earthlings below. They're bustling about in this tiny little shithole without even realizing what's out there, what's coming to them. He would hate to be raised on this planet, in this culture.

Bulma led Vegeta back into her home, where Mrs. Briefs was still sitting on the couch, her face buried in a book. She looked up and greeted the both of them excitedly before returning to her novel. The Saiyan was led downstairs to a large office space. The place was a mess. There were papers and blueprints spread all across the floor. Tools and materials were spread all over the desk.

The blue haired woman shut the door behind her as Vegeta studied the area. "Don't say anything," she told him, regarding the messy office space. "I already get enough crap from my mom about it. It's not usually this bad, but things have gotten pretty hectic lately."

Vegeta didn't respond to this. Bulma turned around and started to dig through some drawers before she looked back up at the Saiyan and moved back around the desk. The man hadn't moved or said anything once since they entered the room. She sat herself on the desk.

"What is it?" Vegeta asked after the woman had been staring at him for several seconds.

"I think we should talk about what happened. I know we've just been avoiding it, but it's not good. I just want to let you know, that it really was nothing and we should get over it."

Vegeta appeared confused. "What are you talking about, woman?"

Bulma sighed. "You know what I'm talking about. Don't play dumb. You just want to pretend like it never happened."

Vegeta shook his head. "I still don't know what you're talking about. Refresh my memory."

She got up from the desk and moved closer to the Saiyan prince. "For crying out loud! I'm talking about when we kissed! Do you even remember? It was before you left for that space fighter tournament. But of course, I wouldn't expect you to remember as it's you."

Vegeta hesitated a moment before responding to this. "Are you serious?" he asked. "You're… you're still thinking about that? It was nothing… really. I mean, I completely forgot about it and you should too. Put it behind us, that's what we should do."

Bulma didn't say anything right away. She got up again and moved over to the desk drawers. She pulled out a small device known as a dragon radar and moved over to Vegeta to place it in his hand. Alright, well don't lose this one, okay? I'm not giving you any more replacements. Krillin and Piccolo will be here soon. Try not to get in a meaningless fight with Piccolo while you're at it."

She proceeded to walk away, but Vegeta stopped her for a second. Bulma was unexpected as she was pulled back over to the Saiyan man. In the next instant, he pressed his lips against hers only for a few seconds. She stared into his eyes. "What was that about?" she asked quietly. "I thought you just said… I mean you… What the hell happened to you today that you're acting so weird?"

Vegeta didn't say anything in response. "Oh well," Bulma said. "Whatever." She got up and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Vegeta started to move around the room, staring at the blueprints spread all over the floor. The woman really was a genius. In a million years, he would never be able to build such complicated contraptions. He moved over to a mirror hanging on the side wall and stared into his dark, cold eyes. He started to think back to what happened today.


Vegeta didn't seem to be paying much attention because he was surprised when Jeice rammed into him from the side. The man flipped over in the air and traveled a long distance before regaining balance and stopping himself. He glared at Jeice, who was floating several feet above Captain Ginyu.

"You'll be sorry you ever interfered!" Vegeta roared.

Jeice started to panic again. He clenched his fists, thinking back to Namek and how strong Vegeta had been. Then the space tournament flashed through his mind as well. The man could have only grown stronger since and Jeice had improved a very little amount. He sighed, wishing that he had done as much training as Ginyu in the months since Namek.

"I guess I'm going to be killing you first," said Vegeta. "Yes, that'll be nice. A little warm up before the captain goes. And to think, I was afraid of you all that time. You used to torment me as a child, calling me monkey boy. Well who's the monkey now?"

Several balls of ki were hurled at Jeice, who quickly maneuvered around to dodge them all, barely missing them. When Vegeta was finished, Jeice stopped himself and placed a hand on his knee. He was out of breath already from all the flying around. He peered over at Gohan, who was unconscious from his hit on the forehead. If only he could use the boy to defend himself again, but he knew it was no use. Vegeta didn't seem to care about the brat's well being anymore. He was in a rage and a killing spree.

While Jeice was still struggling to catch his breath, Vegeta launched himself forward and started flying towards the long haired man at full speed. "Shit," Jeice muttered.

He took off as soon as he could, flying back towards the area where Gohan lay unconscious. Vegeta was starting to gain on him. At the last second before running into the side of a mountain, Jeice flew upwards and turned around, flying in the opposite direction. Vegeta cursed under his breath, as he would have to reverse himself too.

"Where do you think you're going?" Vegeta shouted.

"Away from you!" Jeice shouted back frantically. He looked down at his clothing, which now had some scorches and tears. He grinned a little. Style had been the last thing on his mind lately, but Ginyu had taught him well. He was going to fight to the death and if he was going to go out, it was going to be in style.

Noticing Vegeta incredibly close behind him, Jeice stopped as quickly as possible. Vegeta's eyes widened. He was caught off guard. He pulled up, trying to stop himself, but it was useless. His chest slammed right into Jeice's boots. The Ginyu Force member turned around and shot several energy blasts at him, causing the Saiyan to shoot backwards. He stopped himself, parts of his body scorched from Jeice's blasts.

"What's wrong, Vegeta?" Jeice asked, trying to sound confident in himself. "Just like old times, eh? When me and Burter would come around just to toy with you? You weren't strong enough to put a scratch on us then and you're not strong enough to beat me now."

"Don't try to act cocky," Vegeta hissed. "I know what you're playing, Jeice. You've just caught some lucky breaks, but it's done from here on out. Don't you remember Namek? Don't you remember the tournament? You're just a sorry, pathetic excuse for a warrior. You've been standing in Ginyu's shadow this whole time. It's time for you to man up and pick your own battles!"

Jeice clenched his fists. Not only was he enraged about Ginyu being disgraced, but he was done with Vegeta. "Don't you ever speak that way about me, bloke!" Jeice called out. "I'm not the pathetic excuse for a warrior! Maybe you should look in the mirror now and then!"

The short men both hurled themselves forward at the same time, launching into a series of kicks and punches. Neither men took any serious hits until Vegeta got a good punch. Jeice felt a surge of pain run through his left cheek. He fell backwards as Vegeta punched him in the gut. The man came falling down back to the ground, but stopped himself. He shot back up while rubbing his bruised cheek.

"Maybe you're not so bad after all," said Vegeta. "You're holding up better than Ginyu."

Jeice stared down back at his captain, who appeared to be unconscious at the moment. There was a bit of blood dripping out of his mouth and his clothes were all torn up.

"Who knows? Maybe he's done for," said Vegeta. But secretly, he was wondering what was going on. After seeing Captain Ginyu at the space tournament a while back, it seemed unlikely that the man would fall that easily. Maybe if he was still new to Goku's body, but he'd had a very long time to adjust to it.

"Well, anyway, sorry to say, but I'm done wasting my time with you. Thought I'd have a bit of fun on this weak little planet, but even you aren't strong enough for that anymore."

Vegeta clenched his fists and started to power up. An aura of energy surrounded him as he felt his power level increase. Jeice stood in awe, almost feeling the same sense of doubt he did when he saw Goku powering up in Namek. The man didn't have a scouter, but he could sense that Vegeta's power level was incredibly high.

Vegeta finished and peered over at Jeice, who was shaking in his boots. He laughed, happy to finally see Jeice quake in fear of the Saiyan. The man started to back away as Vegeta edged forward, a grin on his face. A large ball of ki engulfed the Saiyan prince's right hand and he smirked before hurling himself towards Jeice.

"No!" the man screamed out. He didn't have much time to think. Vegeta was moving incredibly fast and it would be stupid to try to run away. He shielded his face with his arms, creating balls of ki in his own two hands.

That's when he felt a hard push into his side. The man flew off to the side and could immediately tell the side of his stomach was going to be bruised. He slowly started to open his eyes, believing that Vegeta had somehow missed his full on attack. But he was mistaken. Standing in his place was Captain Ginyu. The captain must have mustered his strength to get off the ground and save Jeice.

"Captain, no!" Jeice screamed out. Vegeta seemed excited that Ginyu had taken Jeice's place. He'd been waiting to do this for a long time. Vegeta edged closer to Ginyu and a large flash of blinding light followed.


The short man placed the dragon radar into his pocket for safe keeping. He wouldn't want to be losing it. He looked back over to the mirror before running his fingers through his thick Saiyan hair. The man stared at his own reflection, his sharp widow's peak, and his cold dark eyes. He took a moment at the mirror to take in his image again before pulling something out of his pocket. It was a light green scouter.

The man placed it over his left eye and pressed a button. "Jeice?"

"Right here, Captain."

"I went back to the sight to look for our briefcase full of money, but I got a little side tracked. The Earth woman found me and thought I was Vegeta. She took me back to her home and wants me to wait for the rest of the Earthlings to return, but she's getting suspicious about Goku's brat. Don't worry though. She gave me a device that allows us to track the dragon balls. There should be one in Vegeta's jacket pocket as well if you can go back and find it. I'll meet you by the space pods as soon as I can. I'll slip out of here unnoticed."

"Read ya loud and clear," Jeice called back into the scouter.

"How's Vegeta doing?"

"Still a deadbeat, sir," Jeice replied. "He seems to be mumbling every once in a while, but there's no way he's waking up from this anytime soon. If he does, he won't have the strength to do anything, wouldn't he? The bloke's got a big hole in his chest and he ain't used to Goku's – er – I mean your old body yet. "

"Well make sure he doesn't go killing himself," said Ginyu. "I'm going to need him alive for when we get the dragon balls. How's the boy?"

"Same," said Jeice. "Don't worry. He won't come around anytime soon. Plus, the boy's nothing to worry about."

"Alright, I'm signing out. Putting the scouter away for now, so you won't be able to reach me. I'll be there as soon as I can."

The man took the scouter off his ear and placed it in his pocket. He took one last look at the mirror. Those cold eyes didn't belong to Vegeta. They were Ginyu's… at least for now. He made sure he had everything before leaving the office and making his way back upstairs.

Captain Ginyu moved stealthily down the corridor, planning to slip out the door unnoticed, but he was caught off guard. The blue haired woman and two men were standing in the living room, appearing as if they were waiting for him to come back upstairs. Bulma still had a sour look on her face and she shook her head as Ginyu started to walk by.

"Vegeta!" the bald one called. "We've been waiting for you. Bulma says you have the dragon radar with you. Piccolo and I were just discussing the dragon balls and we were wondering if we could have a look at the radar."

Ginyu immediately placed a hand over his pocket, protective of the dragon radar that Bulma had just given him. He edged forward and sighed, taking the radar out of his pocket and hesitantly handing it to Krillin. Krillin had to practically pry it out of the man's hands.

Piccolo was standing right next to Krillin. He shot Ginyu a glare before returning his attention to the dragon radar. Krillin pressed the button at the top and grinned as it started to beep. He laughed a little to himself as a few bright orange dots appeared on the screen.

"Yes!" said Krillin excitedly. "They must have just returned! We might not even have to wait for Goku! We haven't really run into any trouble so far. We'll just get the dragon balls now."

Piccolo nodded. "That sounds like a plan. We can split up if we need to. Any word on Gohan?"

"Well last I saw him, he was with Vegeta over here," said Bulma angrily.

Ginyu rolled his eyes at the woman. He snatched the dragon radar from Krillin's hands and placed it back into his pocket. "I'll be taking that. I'll go out and find the boy. I'll be back as soon as possible."

Captain Ginyu felt all three pair of eyes staring him down as he walked out the door. As he left, he felt a sigh of relief. Vegeta was so cynical and crude that he was easy enough to pull off. The man grinned. He was getting better at impersonations.